Lebeau,La- One local woman who lives on Hwy 71 in Lebeau is frustrated that her property floods time and time again after challenging rain events. She says she has reached out to her local councilman and DOTD for answers regarding the issue, but nothing seems to get fixed.
Video of Andrea Hernandez's yard shows that only a few hours after last week's heavy rains, her property flooded— turning her yard into what looks more like a river.
"I am just kind of disgusted, and I am to the point where I want to leave the property behind," said Hernandez.
Hernandez says she renovated this house late last year.
"It's a good thing I lifted the house," said Hernandez.
And nearly eight months later—
"The ground has flooded four times," said Hernandez.
She realized that a coulee nearby may be the problem.
"It isn't being properly flushed out or cleaned out. It looks like it's been a while since the trees have been pulled; it's just a mess," said Hernandez.
Hernandez has contacted the Parish several times about the coulee but has yet to see any work done. She also contacted DOTD regarding a ditch, which she says needs to be dug correctly.
"Now everybody's water comes into my yard," she said.
Along with the flooding comes other problems.
"My son and I must park our cars on a busy highway to protect it from the water," said Hernandez.
She says she will take matters into her own hands if something is not done.
"The next option is for me to have a whole bunch of dirt brought in, and I go drastic and build the property up," said Hernandez.
Spokespeople with DOTD told us in a statement:
"DOTD initially dug the referenced ditch in April 2023. Another request was made in February 2024. The requestee is on the list. Requests are addressed in the order in which they are received. According to our maintenance personnel, after reviewing imagery, the ditch is dug in accordance as to where it should be. The referenced drainage issue is more so related to clogged laterals, which are outside of DOTD's right-of-way.
To note....the area has received an excessive amount of precipitation within a short period of time. This amount of rain in a short period can make it challenging for some drainage to keep up. We will continue to monitor the area,"
As we were filming, a parish truck was spotted at the location assessing the scene.
