RAYNE, L.a. — High flood waters exist across many parts of Acadiana after Friday's severe weather, and over in Acadia Parish, it's no different.
Debbie Menard has lived in the area her whole life. She tells KATC her yard floods any time it rains, but at least six times a year, it'll be practically unmanageable. For her, this is one of those times.
"It's a problem, but we have to deal with it, because what else are you gonna do?" Menard says. "I really don't know if anything can be done. It's been like this since I was in the eighth grade and I'm 62 now, so it's been like this for years."
Rita Benoit begs to differ, telling KATC she knows there are things that can be done — especially for places like Quarter Pole Rd in Rayne where she has lived for nearly a decade after moving there from New Orleans.
"I feel like it's Katrina all over again," Benoit says. "After 2016's flood, it has progressively gotten worse, after that flood we tend to always flood now."
Ever since 2016, she says she's been trying to get the issue resolved.
"The drainage board doesn't take care of their coulees and drainage issues here on Quarter Pole," Benoit tells KATC. "I've gone and talked to them for eight years now, I've brought pictures, I've been trying to do something... They keep giving me the excuse that we've got beaver dams and the beaver dams are blocking the coulees."
It's become such a problem, she tells me her husband comes out to rake and clear the nearby coulees himself. Her message to the board?
"Please come and clean out this coulee and take care of it so that it drains properly and we can have a life."
KATC reached out to city-parish officials for comment, but at last check, have yet to hear back. We will keep you updated with any information as it becomes available. In the meantime, authorities ask you to avoid traveling through high water and to take alternate routes when possible.
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