EVANGELINE PARISH — BASILE, La. — In Basile, even turning on the tap feels different right now. With freezing temperatures expected, every drop of water counts.
By Monday night, many residents in the town will be without running water as Bayou des Cannes, the local water provider, shuts down the system to conserve water.
For Pastor Mike Fontenot, preparation starts at home.
“So we fill the bathtub so we can use the restroom. That’s something we don’t want to be without,” Fontenot said.
Like many Louisianans, Fontenot is using lessons learned from hurricanes and past winter storms to get ready — stocking up on bottled water, and other necessities.
But his planning goes beyond his own household.
Fontenot is also spending time at the Basile Community Outreach Center, a former library now serving as a warming place for people with nowhere else to go. The center is offering a safe, heated space for residents during the cold snap. Fontenot also says they have blankets, water, and food items for people who need to stop by.
“The goal is to help people get to a safer place,” Fontenot said.
"After last year’s snowstorm, we realized Basile is cut off from a lot of major resources. A lot of people here don’t have transportation or a way to get off the streets, so we decided to open the doors, turn the heat on, and give people a place to go until we can get them to a more stable shelter," said Jeremy Smith, board member for the Basile Community Outreach Center.
Town leaders say the water shutdown is meant to prevent a crisis like the one Basile experienced in 2021, when the town ran out of water during a winter storm.
“Even though it’s inconvenient, it protects the whole town and helps in the event of a fire,” Fontenot said.
For now, Basile is waiting — waiting for the cold to pass and doing what it can to make every drop count.
Smith and Fontenot say donations are welcome at the warming center. They are accepting non-perishable food items, snacks, drinks, baby supplies, and blankets.
