ST. MARY PARISH — As hurricane season gets underway, St. Mary Parish officials are already preparing for the next storm threat, drawing on lessons learned from Hurricane Francine and investing in infrastructure improvements aimed at reducing future flood risks.
St. Mary Parish President Sam Jones said the parish's size and geography require officials to monitor multiple communities and potential storm impacts across the region.
“It's a wide parish all from Amelia to Jeanerette. We just basically pay attention to where the thing would come in,” Jones said.
Jones said parish leaders are reviewing emergency plans and applying lessons learned from Hurricane Francine, which brought flooding to parts of Morgan City and exposed vulnerabilities in some drainage systems.
One of the most significant challenges during the storm was flooding in areas that had not previously experienced water intrusion.
“Well Morgan City had 350 houses that took water in it," Jones said. "That never happened before.”
According to Jones, a combination of aging infrastructure and land subsidence — a process in which land gradually sinks over time — contributed to the flooding.
“It may [not] have sunk that much, but it was enough to get into peoples houses and stuff like that,” Jones said.
While parish officials cannot prevent storms from occurring, Jones said they can work to strengthen infrastructure designed to move water away from neighborhoods and businesses.
The parish is using state and coastal restoration funding to improve multiple pumping stations, focusing on areas officials consider most vulnerable to flooding.
“I think we got somewhere around $30 million, then we got $10 million, and we’re doing things in the places that are in the worst shape,” Jones said.
Among the communities targeted for improvements is Bayou Vista, which has experienced drainage challenges during periods of heavy rainfall. Jones said the parish has already budgeted funding to begin addressing those concerns.
“We put it on our budget this year to start working it and we are going to do that,” Jones said.
As preparations continue throughout hurricane season, Jones said readiness is an ongoing process rather than a finished task.
“You never can quite finish being ready, but you can do the best you can and that’s what we’ve done,” Jones said.
Jones also encourages residents to stay informed by following St. Mary Parish Government's Facebook page and to contact them directly at (337) 828-4100 if they have any questions or need assistance.
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