Chris Todd, EPA / Landov
An estimated 4,000 residents in several low-lying Louisiana towns have been forced to evacuate at 5 p.m. on Sunday after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorized the opening of floodgates on the Morganza Spillway, according to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. The aim of opening the floodgates is to prevent further devastation downriver in the highly-populated cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but towns like Krotz Springs, with a population of 750 people, are being forced to leave due to the menacing, rising waters of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers. Hoping to reach higher ground in order to celebrate his daughter Mayah’s fourth birthday, Krotz Springs resident Jake Nolan said, “She can't swim, and she hears all the stories about the water rising. She is scared she won't be able to make it out."