COTTONPORT — Parts of Avoyelles Parish are experiencing flooding a week after Tropical Storm Arthur.
One Cottonport resident said he measured nearly 30 inches of rainfall from the storm.
“I mean everything had pretty much died down, so...we measured all that—29 inches—in less than 12 hours,” said Matt Carnicle.
Jonathan Brazzell, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service, said the amount of rainfall from the storm has a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year, often described as a 1,000-year flood.
“Prior to this event, the previous record was 22 inches in a 24 hour period in Hackberry, Louisiana, so if this one does end up being verified, it will break the state of Louisiana 24 hour record,” Brazzell said.
The storm’s effects are not limited to Avoyelles Parish.
Doug Kramer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said floodwaters in Avoyelles Parish are moving into St. Landry Parish, impacting more people.
“Much of that is draining down into St. Landry Parish, and so the water is flooding some homes down there and a lot of aerial coverage crops and things like that and also some roads, so there are some concerns down there and they are dealing with some flooding,” Kramer said.
Kramer said the National Weather Service is working closely with Avoyelles Parish and St. Landry Parish to track where the water is headed next.
He said the water is expected to continue moving into St. Martin Parish and eventually into the Atchafalaya Basin.
