IBERIA PARISH — Early Thursday morning, several drivers found themselves trapped in high floodwaters along South Lewis Street in New Iberia. Images from the scene show cars partially submerged—an unwelcome surprise for commuters just trying to get to work.
One man, Richard “Buddy” Howell, pulled not one, not two, but 12 vehicles out of the water. Howell, a nurse by profession, never expected to spend his morning drenched in floodwater—but says once he got the call that his wife was stranded, everything changed.
"Initially, I got the call that my wife was stuck, so I came to pull her out—and that led to multiple people needing assistance," Howell said.
Howell didn’t work alone. He was joined by a local business owner Aaron Guillotte from Advantage Glass, and together the two men pulled 11 cars out of the water.
Howell then helped two other men, Aiden Griffin and Nayt Rivers, rescue a 12th car.
"People were just losing their cars left and right," Griffin said. "Some were in ditches, others stalled out in the middle of the road."
Griffin and Rivers praised Howell’s efforts, especially given he was wearing scrubs while wading into waist-deep water.
"We saw him swimming in those scrubs," Griffin joked. "He was our buddy today for sure."
Howell added that some vehicles were so deeply submerged that he had to lie in the water to strap them up for towing.
The KATC Weather Lab reported that approximately six inches of rain fell in the area Thursday morning.
Parish President Larry Richard attributed the flooding to overloaded drainage channels and a strong south wind, which pushed water inland and prevented it from flowing out properly.
When asked if this level of flooding is common in New Iberia, Griffin and Rivers didn’t hesitate. "All the time," they said.
Despite being cold, soaked, and exhausted, Howell said he simply couldn’t leave people behind. "I just couldn’t tell these people no," he said.
Howell says he plans to take his wife's car to the shop to check for any damages.
