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Those who live in Stephensville brace for possibility of more flooding

Posted at 11:08 PM, May 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-25 00:08:04-04

Nine days from now, the Morganza Spillway will likely be opened to help alleviate flooding along the Mississippi River.

The Morganza Spillway will divert water from the Mississippi River to the Atchafalaya Basin where some areas are already seeing flooding and now bracing for the possibility of even more.

“There’s a lot of water. A lot of people are hurting. A lot of people lost everything,” said Carroll Angelle, who lives in Stephensville.

Flooding is already a reality in lower St. Martin Parish.

“I’ve got about eight inches in my driveway where my truck is, and I have to wear boots or go barefoot and then get in the car,” said Angelle.

Homeowners, like Carroll Angelle, wish something would have been done sooner.

“They waited and waited and waited, and look what we have on our hands,” he said.

St. Martin Parish President Chestar Cedars says about 20% of their public works department has been devoted to implementing flood control measures for the past few months.

“March 6th of this year, we started distributing sand bags because of high water. From that date to now, we’ve distributed 100,000 bags of sand,” explained Cedars.

Angelle doesn’t think that will cut it.

“You know, they can say all they want about the sand bags. Yeah, the sandbags helped to a certain point. Can you see sand bags blocking that body of water?” said Angelle as he pointed to water in his neighborhood.

Those without water in their homes are now doing what they can to keep it that way.

“So what we’re doing is putting some bags up and putting sand bags against them, so they don’t roll, and we’re pumping the water out,” said another Stephensville resident, Mike Clifton.