Brenda Pitre
December 11, 2009Irma Illum
December 22, 2009
More than 60 residents of the Alidore community in Raceland had to be evacuated today as flooding inundated the area. Sporadic flooding was also reported throughout Lafourche Parish, but no other evacuations were reported.
“Of the people given assistance either by boat or truck to get to higher ground, one young woman was seven months pregnant, two men were wheelchair bound and one special needs child who is also wheelchair bound was rescued,”
Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Leslie Peters said in a press release. “Fifteen deputies manned the area by day. Ten deputies have been dedicated specifically to the Alidore community Tuesday night to provide security and protect residences from potential looters.”
Power has been cut to the most severely flooded neighborhoods in Lafourche Parish, and 14 evacuated residents were being housed in the Raceland Recreation Center, according to the sheriff’s office. All of the other evacuees had made plans to stay with family or friends.
In Terrebonne Parish, several homes and over 30 roads were flooded today after several days of unusually heavy rains.
Mike Efferson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said that data from Schriever showed 7.66 inches of rain fell from Monday into this morning. An additional 2.59 inches fell on Saturday night, bringing the areas total to around 10.25 inches. Rain measurements after 7 a.m. this morning have not yet been made. Rain totals for this week are expected to exceed 15 inches is some areas.
Malcolm Wolfe, a spokesman for the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, released a statement listing 34 streets that had flooded. Water was reported in homes on Fieldcrest and James Edison drives, and water was ebbing on the front doors of Manchester and Idlewild drives as well. Sandbags were made available at volunteer fire stations in Bayou Cane, Bayou Black, Gibson, and Schriever.
“Just about anywhere you go in the parish, you’re going to find some flooded streets,” said Earl Eues, Terrebone Parish’s director of emergency preparedness. “However, all pumping systems are currently working.”
Wes McCann, a resident of Idlewild Drive, filled dozens of sandbags at the Bayou Cane Fire Station. “If we get one more good gush of rain, there will be no stopping that water,” he said.
McCann raced home just before the water ebbed over his front door, but it was too late to save the garage.
“I just finished repairing my home in September from the flooding we had back in March,” said Wes’ father Steve McCann.
The McCanns and some of their neighbors complained that a nearby pumping station had not been turned on until 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, and flooding had become more common in recent years.
Pumps in the Idlewild Neighborhood probably could not be turned on because the water levels were too high for the pumps to be affective, said Jeanne Bray, of the Terrebonne Parish Public Works Department.
The pumping system for that area is below the parish’s overall drainage system. When water levels are too high, those pumps are rendered ineffective
“It only works when the water level is below a certain level. Basically, we’ve reached that level,” said Bray. “If we turn that pump on, all you’re doing is running pumps for no reason. It just recirculates the water.”
“This is what happens when highfalutin politicians think they know what they’re doing, but don’t look at the results,” said Wes McCann. “They built levees south of here to keep storm surges out, but it holds all the rain water in.”
McCan, who just moved back to the area to help out his parents, said, “This never used to happen when I lived here 20 years ago.”
“Welcome back to [explicative deleted] Houma,” he said, shaking his head and piling on another sandbag.
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, Terrebonne Parish officials said the following streets were experiencing flooding:
Alma Street
Ann Carol Street
Bayou Black Drive
Bayou Gardens Boulevard (experiencing approximately 1-foot of water on the 300 block of Bayou Gardens Boulevard)
Bayou Gardens Bridge (re-opened)
Beulah Louise Drive
Bull Run Road
Capital Boulevard
Cascade Drive
Champion Drive (blocked off 300 block)
Corporate Drive (near Maria Immacolata)
Country Club Drive (impassable/closed)
Country Estates Drive (500 block impassable)
Cortez Subdivision (no longer flooded)
Enterprise Drive
Fieldcrest Drive (water in residence)
Grinage and Honduras streets
Hanson Drive (200 block impassable)
La. Highway 24 (4300 block)
La. Highways 24 316 (impassable; being barricaded by LSP)
Hollywood Road
Idlewild Drive (water is almost in residences, impassable past 400 block)
James Edison Drive (water in residences)
Jean Street
Lafayette and Bond streets
Lafayette and High streets
Lillian Marie Drive (impassable past Louis Emile Drive)
Linda Ann Avenue (400 Block South shut down)
Lisa Park Area
Louis Emile Drive (street impassable)
Manchester Dr. (house at intersection with Sanford drive water up to front step)
Marietta Place (200 Block South shut down)
Ouiski Bayou Dr.
Rhett Place
Savanne Rd (blocked off from Pelto Dr. to Rouses)
St. Francis St.
Saint Louis Canal Rd. (One lane passable)
Saint Patrick Street (Blocked off to Romero
Sugar Land Dr.(impassable from 286 Sugar Land to back of Southern estates)
Sugar Plum Street (impassable from 294 sugar Plum to back)
Tunnel Blvd
Venture Blvd. (approx 1 foot at end of street, both sides taped off)
Vicari St.
Westside Blvd.
