NEW : Heavy rain moves west , expected to hit parts of Georgia and Louisiana . and then his phone went dead . '' The death toll rises to 8 ; most caught in cars in floodwaters , governor says . Those killed early in Georgia flooding : 2-year - old thrown from father 's car . Governor declares state of emergency in the hardest - hit counties .
NEW : Heavy rain moves west , expected to hit parts of Georgia and Louisiana . The death toll rises to 8 ; most caught in cars in floodwaters , governor says . Those killed early in Georgia flooding : 2-year - old thrown from father 's car . Governor declares state of emergency in the hardest - hit counties .