LAFAYETTE PARISH — Floodwaters rushed into yards and up to doorsteps along Orange Street in Lafayette following recent heavy rain. Longtime resident Leroy Alexander said while street flooding isn’t new to the area, the extent of this week’s water was the worst he’s seen.
“I've been here at least a good 18 years, man. It's the first time I've seen it flood like this.it’s the first time it’s come up bad like that. It’s been bad, but not bad like this.”
Alexander explained that neighbors do their part to keep things clean, but the drainage system simply can’t keep up.
“It’s been flowing pretty good, you know — it’s just so much water, so that’s it.”
But for many residents, it’s not just the rainfall that’s causing frustration. Speeding drivers are making things worse by pushing water into homes as they race through the flooded streets.
“Y’all need to patrol and try to tell the people to slow down cause they other people and houses are low, people can’t stuff and it just messes up things man and all the water goes inside people’s houses and they ain’t got no money for all that so it’s rough,” Alexander said.
Just a few houses down, Lonnie Johnson—who grew up on the street—echoed the concern. He said it’s common to see drivers speeding through the water. “Majority of the time, they just zoom right through it” Johnson shared.
Johnson added that while drainage might be functional, it floods easily and takes time to clear out.“They flood though, the drainage floods. If they could flush them out, yea that would help. And it don’t clear up for like two, three days.”
With rain still in the forecast, neighbors say if drainage issues aren’t addressed—and drivers don’t slow down—another flood could be just one storm away.
