IBERIA PARISH (NEW IBERIA) — As rainy days continue across Iberia Parish, one longtime resident says the water isn’t draining — and hasn’t for years.
Philip Gonsoulin, a welder who purchased his home in New Iberia in 1998, said drainage issues near his property began just a few years after he moved in.
More than two decades later, he said, the problem has only worsened.
“This is the ditch right here,” Gonsoulin said, pointing to a ditch a block from his home. “The water’s gotta go at least two-three feet before it can even begin to drain that way.”
The canal is meant to flow into Bayou Teche, but Gonsoulin said clogged passages and unchecked vegetation have blocked it for years.
“At one time, someone told me that ditch was 10 feet at the bottom,” he said. “Now you can walk across that ditch.” As a result, rainwater backs up, damaging his home.
“I’ve had to replace all my floors,” he said. “Thousands of dollars... thousands of dollars.”
He also voiced frustration over what he sees as misallocated parish resources.
“They’re constantly worrying about cleaning Tête Bayou — dredge this, dredge that — but nothing happens around here,” he said.
Despite making multiple calls to the parish over the years, Gonsoulin said the issue has yet to be addressed.
“They keep saying they’re going to do something,” he said. “But nothing ever gets done.”
When contacted, a representative from Iberia Parish Government said they would look into the issue: “I’ll have Public Works go look at that and see when we last received a report on it,” the official said.
For now, Gonsoulin says he’s waiting — again — hoping for action before more rain falls.
