LAFAYETTE PARISH — The 2016 flood remains a defining moment for many Acadiana residents, who are marking the 10th anniversary of the disaster that inundated homes across Lafayette Parish.
Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter said, "We had a lot of residents that couldn't get out of neighborhoods, but the community came together. We had residents with flatbed boats that did a lot of rescues."
Youngsville Fire Captain Lindy Bolgiano said the response was an all-hands effort.
"We had five ton water trucks, we had boats, we had residents with boats helping us. Either we were commandeering their boats and they were loaning us, or we were just hopping in, but it was chaotic," Bolgiano said.
Nicola Williams, whose south Lafayette home took on 12 inches of water, said the flooding caught her off guard. Her home was not located in a flood zone at the time.
"I went and opened my front door and water was right at my doorstep. I was like, 'Okay, kids, we're not going to school today,' and so frantically calling my husband telling him there's water coming in the house, moving furniture away from the rooms I had started to get water and I'm not realizing just how high it was actually going to get," Williams said.
Although the flood occurred in early August, Williams said her family was not able to move back into their home until January 2017.
"The total renovation cost was about over $100,000 to repair the house. That included gutting everything from 4 ft. down. All cabinets had to come out. They had mold within days growing all underneath that," she said.
Even after returning home, Williams said the experience left a lasting impact.
"Every time it rained, I would get anxiety. We were constantly watching it, watching for the news, watching how much rain we were going to get, how quick we were going to get it," Williams said.
