ST. MARTIN PARISH — Heavy rainfall across Acadiana on Monday caused flash flooding, leading to the closure of schools and businesses in Upper St. Martin Parish. Several areas, including the Durand and Ledoux subdivisions, saw considerable flooding, affecting residents and their properties.
Tyrone Thompson, a longtime resident of the Durand subdivision, described his immediate response to the flooding in his neighborhood. "When I seen all this water, I said, well, you know what, I cannot leave my family here like this while I go to work, and something happens and they can't even get out," Thompson said. He has lived in the area for more than 20 years and explained that flooding during heavy rainfalls has become an unfortunate, recurring event. "Me and my neighbor, we always get flooded when there’s heavy rain. It floods our whole yard and area, and after three or four hours, the water goes down."
Thompson’s neighbor, Glen Herbert, who has experienced similar flooding issues in the area, took steps to help Thompson avoid flood damage. "I told him that I said, 'Man, look, it’s a nice piece of property, but the water backs up right there, I feel bad for him,'" Herbert remarked. To help, Herbert even allowed Thompson to park his car in his driveway to keep it safe from the rising waters. Although Herbert’s home managed to avoid major flooding, he believes a critical issue in the area contributes to the frequent water buildup. He pointed to a backed-up drain, which he feels worsens the flooding. "All this stuff like this that goes in that water just makes it worse; all that is plugged up," Herbert explained.
St. Martinville Mayor Jason Wills, who confirmed Herbert’s theory and explained that the flooding was largely caused by an overflow in Bayou Teche. The bayou, which receives runoff from multiple communities—including St. Martinville, Parks, Cypress Island, Cade, and parts of New Iberia—became overwhelmed due to the heavy rainfall. "The water picks up all of that debris and tries to send it through these little small culvert holes, and it clogs it up," Mayor Wills said. He added that the region experienced an unprecedented amount of rainfall in a short period. "I think we got about 5 inches of rain in 40 to 45 minutes," he explained. "No system, parish-wide—Lafayette, St. Martinville, New Iberia—is equipped to handle that much water at one time."
In addition to addressing the flooding concerns, Mayor Wills encouraged residents to maintain clean ditches to help alleviate the drainage process and prevent severe water buildup in the future. "The bayou is getting high because everybody is draining into the Bayou Teche," he explained. "So, when people ask, 'How does the bayou get high?' it’s not just from the rain falling into the bayou. It’s all the water from everybody’s neighborhood going into that bayou, so it raises up the bayou."
As the community works to recover from the flooding, Mayor Wills encourages residents to do their best to keep their ditches clean to help the draining process and prevent a severe buildup of water.
