ABBEVILLE, La. — It was a stormy start to the week in Acadiana. On Monday, severe storms rolled through the region, flooding several parishes.
In some areas, residents found themselves vacuuming out their cars after the heavy rainfall.
Hours after the storms, floodwaters remained.
KATC spoke with Champayne Lavergne, a resident of Abbeville who has lived in the city for less than a year but has already witnessed the impact of heavy rains.
"It needs to be better, it's horrible," said Lavergne.
Lavergne called for better drainage, particularly in her neighborhood.
"We need some drainage because everything is really slow. They need to really work super hard on that, just make things go a little bit faster."
To better understand the city's drainage system, KATC reached out to Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White.
In a statement, White said:
The Vermilion River is the main artery that drains a large part of the regional watershed which means all drainage in Abbeville is dependent on the water level in the river. When areas north of us have high rain events, all that water comes through Abbeville which impacts nearly all of the city.
The high volume of rain received today in such a short period of time, especially with a high river level will cause water to cover roads and fill ditches until the rain stops and the river begins to recede.
We continuously work to address all drainage issues and do so in a timely manor as they are reported. Residents can also call us to report issues or check the status of a request at 337-893-8550. The area mentioned below has a very low elevation, which causes additional water issues and unfortunately, there is no easy solution, but we never stop trying to help.
For Lavergne, the severe rainfall and flooding around her home meant her children stayed home from school and having to cancel her doctor's appointment, disrupting her daily routine.
"It takes so long for it to go down, it takes maybe a week at the most for it to go all the way down. So it's hard to step off my porch and go places because of this," she said.
If you are dealing with disruptions to your daily life or damage due to weather events, reach out to us through social media, calling us at (337) 236-6351 or by emailing news@katctv.com.
