Kevin Cowan said the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries sent 30 boats to the hardest-hit parts of the metro area, the city's 9th Ward and neighboring St.
Though the country's military-ruled government had not accepted the offer of help, the U.S. Air Force also moved more airplanes to a staging area in neighboring Thailand, Air Force spokeswoman Megan Orton said at the Pentagon.
Lawlessness in neighboring Somalia recently spilled over the border while kidnappings of tourists in thearea prompted several countries to put out travel warnings.