VERMILION PARISH — LEBLANC, LA- For years, LeBlanc resident Philip Hanks has battled rising water near his home, fearing that the next heavy rain could lead to more devastating flooding.
“I don’t want to lose my house,” Hanks said. “If a storm takes it, I understand that’s God’s nature, that’s God’s will. But I don’t want to lose my house because someone’s not doing their job by not keeping the coulee clean.”Hanks, who is disabled and on a fixed income, says the problem originates at the Langlinais Ditch. Residents in the community say that when it rains, the ditch—which hasn’t been cleaned in over a year—overflows, sending water toward their properties, including Hanks’ backyard.
“It fills up and ends up here,” Hanks said, motioning toward the flooded area beside his home. “Then the water seeps in and floods my yard.”Despite the ditch being outside his property line, Hanks said he often cleans it himself to prevent the situation from getting worse.
“I don’t have the money that other people have,” he said. “But I do what I can.”Local officials had planned to address the drainage issue during a parish drainage meeting in Erath, but the meeting has been rescheduled to next week.
Residents are hopeful the rescheduled meeting will bring long-overdue solutions to the drainage problems in the LeBlanc community.
