A Louisiana man is missing and presumed dead after an alligator attack while walking in floodwaters after Hurricane Ida.
The unidentified man’s wife said they were walking in the flooded area around noon on Monday when the alligator attacked him outside their Slidell home. He had gone to check a storage area under the house to check on their possessions.
The wife was inside when she heard a loud noise and splashing. She went outside to see what was happening and saw the alligator attacking her husband.
Once the gator let go, she was able to pull the unconscious man out of the water and onto some steps. The man was too severely injured, having lost an arm, for the first-aid supplies she had on hand, so the wife got in a canoe and went to higher ground for help.
When she returned, the man was nowhere to be found. Authorities used boats and high-water vehicles to search for him, but he has so far not been located.
“Wildlife has been displaced as well during this storm, and alligators and other animals may have moved closer into neighborhoods,” cautioned Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith.
In addition to alligators, residents should be careful of poisonous snakes, black bears, and feral hogs, which may have also been displaced during the hurricane.
