Baton Rouge, Louisiana (CNN) Jessica May escaped New Orleans days before Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and made a new life in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. All was going well until one month ago, she said, when her home went up in flames.

After the fire, she and her partner, Denard Singleton, moved with their six kids, ages 4 to 10, into Singleton's parents' home in Denham Springs.

Then, on August 13, she had to flee again -- this time, from the Amite River, which rose so quickly she had virtually no time to prepare.

Neighbors "were banging on the door at 6 o'clock in the morning," May said. "We walked out, and you could see the water rising."

She and her family waited for about an hour for a rescue boat.

"I was scared. I was like, 'How are we going to get out of this?'" she wondered.

May and her family were among tens of thousands of people forced from their homes in the state's historic and deadly flooding.

More than 20 inches of rain have fallen in and around Baton Rouge since last week, and more is on the way, forecasters said. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue through the week.

The disaster is blamed for at least nine deaths: six in East Baton Rouge Parish, two in St. Helena Parish and one in Tangipahoa Parish, local officials said.

The US Coast Guard and other first responders rescued more than 20,000 people over the weekend. Civilians helped out in some cases. In one remarkable example captured on video, David Phung pulled a woman and her dog from her car after it had plunged underwater.

JUST WATCHED Watch rescuers pull woman from Louisiana flooding Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Watch rescuers pull woman from Louisiana flooding 00:59

May and her family were among those rescued. After getting ferried away on a boat, she said, they walked on a flooded interstate in hopes of finding drier ground.

"Good God the water wasn't high" on the interstate, she said. "My kids were able to walk through the water."

Rescue by helicopter

The Coast Guard said it has rescued more than 118 people and assisted more than 766 people in Baton Rouge. Some flooding victims were rescued by helicopter.

Louisiana flooding Deaths: 9 Rescues: More than 20,000 Rainfall: 20 inches over the weekend in the Baton Rouge area Homes, businesses without power: 40,000 People living in shelters: 12,000 Parishes expected to be declared disaster areas: 30 School systems closed: At least 4, plus Louisiana State University Sources: Gov. John Bel Edwards, National Weather Service

The disaster forced the closure of schools in East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. James and Tangipahoa parishes as well as Louisiana State University.

President Barack Obama has granted the governor's request for an emergency declaration to assist in response and recovery efforts. Gov. John Bel Edwards has deployed the Louisiana National Guard, which mobilized 1,700 soldiers to assist in search and rescue efforts. Military police are assisting local law enforcement with security.

Edwards said he expects to have close to 30 parishes declared disasters -- nearly half of the state's 64 parishes.

"We're going to have standing water all over south Louisiana," Edwards told CNN. "We're going to have more than our share of mosquitoes. And with the Zika threat, we need assistance to spray for mosquitoes and for mosquito control and abatement. That is made available to us as a result of the declaration."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Ben Beard said experts will be monitoring the situation, but generally, the agency is not concerned about floods triggering the spread of the Zika virus. Mosquitoes that transmit diseases are killed by the same rains that cause the flooding, experts say. Large rain events can actually reduce the number of disease-transmitting mosquitoes.

Details on flooding deaths

JUST WATCHED Louisiana flooding sweeps away man's home Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Louisiana flooding sweeps away man's home 01:12

Six people died in East Baton Rouge Parish, the mayor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said. Among them, a woman who was found dead inside a flooded vehicle. She was seen Saturday night attempting to turn around in high water when her vehicle was swept away.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported a flood-related death in Tangipahoa Parish.

Two people died in St. Helena Parish, Lisa Ballard with the sheriff's office said. The body of a 30-year-old woman was found Saturday afternoon after the vehicle she was was riding in was swept away. And Samuel Muse, 54, of Greensburg died Friday after floodwaters swept his vehicle off the road, CNN affiliate WAFB reported.

A 68-year-old man drowned after slipping and falling in floodwaters.

'We're praying it stops where it is'

Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Baron Leblanc, left, and George Snyder move a refrigerator out of George's flooded home in St. Amant on Thursday, August 18. More than 30,000 people have been rescued in southern Louisiana after heavy rains caused flooding. "This is a major disaster," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has said. Hide Caption 1 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says A Virgin Mary statue is barely visible in front of a flooded home in St. Amant on August 18. Hide Caption 2 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Flooding affects a chicken coop in Sorrento on August 17. Hide Caption 3 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Kade Lewis helps gut his grandparents' home in Walker on Wednesday, August 17, after flooding. Hide Caption 4 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Caskets float in floodwaters near a cemetery in Gonzales on August 17. Hide Caption 5 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says A man talks on his phone while helping salvage items from a house in Denham Springs on August 17. Hide Caption 6 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Gary Schexnayder stands in a flooded street in Sorrento as an early morning fog blankets the area August 17. Hide Caption 7 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says David Key looks outside his flooded home in Prairieville on Tuesday, August 16. Hide Caption 8 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Raymond Lieteau waits for help to move a refrigerator as his friend Melissa Lockhart helps clean up the living room in his flood-damaged home in Baton Rouge on August 16. Lieteau had more than 5 feet of water in his home. Hide Caption 9 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Danny and Alys Messenger canoe away from their flooded home in Prairieville on August 16. Hide Caption 10 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says A pickup truck is partially submerged in Port Vincent, Louisiana, on August 16. Hide Caption 11 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Cattle are driven through a flooded road in Sorrento as they are herded to trucks on August 16. Hide Caption 12 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says People sort through water-damaged products outside Jasmine's Beauty Supply in Baton Rouge on August 16. Hide Caption 13 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says A man navigates a boat of rescued goats past a partially submerged car in Gonzales on August 16. Hide Caption 14 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Noel Michael holds up a cell-phone photo of her flooded home in Livingston, Louisiana, on Monday, August 15. Hide Caption 15 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Ann Chapman, from the Louisiana State Animal Response Team, carries a dog she helped rescue in Baton Rouge on August 15. Hide Caption 16 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Eli Turnage hands out water to people waiting in line at Carter's Supermarket in Livingston on August 15. Hide Caption 17 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says A boy in Baton Rouge rides his bike inside the flood-damaged Life Tabernacle Church on August 15. Hide Caption 18 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Ryan Evans makes his way through Baton Rouge on August 15. Hide Caption 19 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Robert Enfinger and his wife, Michelle, spend the night in a church that had been turned into an evacuation shelter in Walker. Hide Caption 20 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Tracy Thornton walks to his house through a flooded neighborhood in Baton Rouge on August 15. Hide Caption 21 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Floodwaters surround prefabricated houses in Denham Springs on August 15. Hide Caption 22 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Evacuees spend time together at the church shelter in Walker on August 15. Hide Caption 23 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says An American flag hangs in floodwaters in Walker on August 15. Hide Caption 24 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Danielle Blount and her 3-month-old baby, Ember, wait to be rescued by the Louisiana Army National Guard near Walker on Sunday, August 14. Hide Caption 25 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Members of the Louisiana Army National Guard help people near Walker on August 14. Hide Caption 26 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Youngsville police Chief Rickey Boudreaux takes a break from helping flood victims to view the damage to his own home on August 14. Hide Caption 27 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Jennifer Bernard and her dog, Shelby, travel by kayak down the flooded streets of Youngsville on August 14. Hide Caption 28 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Floodwaters inundate a street in Youngsville on August 14. Hide Caption 29 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says A girl takes her horse out on a dry road near Walker on August 14. Hide Caption 30 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Emergency personnel rescue flood victims near Walker on August 14. Hide Caption 31 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Those displaced by the flooding wait to board National Guard trucks at a Denham Springs church on August 14. Hide Caption 32 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Residents evacuate Hammond, Louisiana, with food in ice chests on Saturday, August 13. Hide Caption 33 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Floodwaters overwhelm businesses in Hammond on August 13. Hide Caption 34 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Jeff Robinson lowers a ladder from a National Guard truck as his wife wades through floodwaters near their home in Baptist, Louisiana, on August 13. Hide Caption 35 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says An aerial view of flood-damaged homes in Hammond on August 13. Hide Caption 36 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Tammie Wise holds her dog, Mikey, after Jeffrey Lesage helped rescue them in Central, Louisiana, on August 13. Hide Caption 37 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says A resident wades through floodwaters at apartments near Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Hide Caption 38 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says A firefighter brings luggage to hotel guests during an evacuation of the Fairfield Inn in Lafayette, Louisiana, on August 13. Hide Caption 39 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says People ride an all-terrain vehicle through a flooded neighborhood in Carencro, Louisiana, on August 13. Hide Caption 40 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says The Tangipahoa River overflows near the towns of Amite, Independence, Tickfaw and Robert on August 13. Hide Caption 41 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Officials close down an exit off Interstate 55 south in Independence as floodwaters creep closer to the highway on August 13. Hide Caption 42 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Jeremy and Chelsea LeMieux paddle through floodwaters in Carencro on August 13. Hide Caption 43 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Rescue personnel and civilians team up to pull people from their homes along the Tangipahoa River on August 13. Hide Caption 44 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says Cattle huddle together in floodwaters near Hammond on August 13. Hide Caption 45 of 46 Photos: Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says A firefighter helps a resident in Baton Rouge on Friday, August 12. Hide Caption 46 of 46

Neighbors Brad Jacobs and Erik Lang woke up to survey the mess caused by floodwaters surrounding their homes. Shoes, children's toys and household items floated through knee-deep water on Monday.

With their homes largely intact, some of their neighbors consider themselves lucky, too.

"We're praying it stops where it is," said Kelly's neighbor, Jenny Ragland, whose home on a ridge was spared similar damage.

Toni Denova says she hopes to save her family photos.

Jacobs and Lang spent the night in Ragland's home.

Neighbor Toni Denova just bought new furniture, but she's not worried about it. All she wants is to preserve her family photographs against the rising floodwater.

"I have a boxful of pictures in my garage that I hope get saved. That's all I really care about," she said.

May, who fled to an emergency shelter with her six children, has no idea what to expect when she gets home. She's just trying to help her kids cope.

"My oldest, she just breaks down and cries," she said. "But I'm there with her to let her know everything's going to be OK."