Hey girls. This is some pics at my hhouse and a story from todays paper showing the extent of rain we�re getting. If you happen to get a chance watch the weather channel. It�s bad here. For those that don�t remember I live in church point so I found this story cuz it�s about cp. Also are some pics.; I can�t show you too much and make you see but, these are taken under my carport and I mean look how much water is under the car port, imagine what is out in the road and yard! If I can when I go to town i'll take pics of all the roads closed!
Love,
chanda

acadia parish road closures:

blacksmith road from point noir to 370 (richard area)
st. Margaret
hwy. 95 to emare (n. Of church point)
w. Plaquemine (church point)
95n (n. Main) (church point)
pontoon bridge (estherwood)
more rain to hit area
acadiana residents dread another rainy onslaught

church point �
carl daigle rolled out of bed and planted his feet in about three inches of water thursday morning.



His feet stayed wet most of the day as he attempted to pump the water out of the year-old addition to his house on south guidry street. The older part of his house, built off the ground, was safe from the water.



He joined hundreds of households and businesses across the state as they cleaned up after a storm swept across coastal louisiana, dumping torrential rain that caused widespread flooding. The worst hit areas included church point, carencro, cecelia, henderson, arnaudville and grand coteau. An estimated 200 homes to 250 homes and businesses were flooded in these small communities, with some places receiving up to 18 inches of rain, most of it in a short amount of time.



There�s a potential for far more flooding.

�it looks like a lake,� daigle said, his eyes scanning the water in his church point yard thursday morning. �it�s terrible. I have solid wood floors in my bedroom and sheet rock.�

he was one of about two dozen people in the city limits who sustained some type of damage from a swollen bayou plaquemine. The parish declared a state of emergency wednesday afternoon, said cecelia broussard, president of the acadia parish police jury. The declaration makes the area eligible for federal assistance.



Carl daigle awoke thursday to find his bedroom flooded in his church point home. The water seeped in overnight, leaving three inches of water in his home. �it looks like a lake,� daigle said.Daigle doesn�t live in a flood zone and doesn�t have flood insurance.

�my wife said �calm down,� but this is a catastrophe,� daigle said. �i don�t know where to begin.�

church point mayor roger boudreaux said he hopes the declaration will help his residents get the assistance they need for the clean-up.

�in the past two days we�ve caught right at 18 inches at church point,� boudreaux said. �we�ve been blessed so far, since 12 o�clock last night we haven�t caught any more rain.�

water from bayou plaquemine spilled over onto streets off of east ebey road or la. 178 and spots along south guidry and rue iry lejeune. Water covered the bridges over la. 178 and la. 95, which leads to eunice.

More than 3,000 sandbags were prepared to help residents keep the water at bay. Boudreaux had to hire extra help to keep up with the demand.



In st. Landry parish, areas on more than 30 roads were closed because of water, according to the st. Landry parish sheriff�s office.

In carencro, the flooded areas were drying out thursday afternoon, but some 40 people displaced from a mobile home park in vatican were unable to return by late afternoon.

Carencro mayor carl brasseaux said he plans on meeting with lafayette parish officials today to discuss what type of aid may be available for the parish. The city saw several streets within the city limits flood, as well as outlying areas.

�we had 13.25 inches in a very short time,� brasseaux said. �that drainage system just can�t handle it.�

the u.S. Army corps of engineers is studying the city�s drainage problems and may have a proposal prepared by the end of the year, brasseaux said.

Firefighters in the city worked into thursday morning, not closing the command post until 1:30 a.M., said carencro fire capt. Carl fontenot.

�we did about another 30 or 40 evacuations last night,� fontenot said.

Wednesday night, james stelly sought refuge at the home of his neighbor, wilson savoy, after he was rescued by firefighters.



Both men live in vatican square mobile home park. Only a few mobile homes that sat on higher ground in the park were free from the water.

Thursday afternoon, both men sat on savoy�s porch. Stelly said he hadn�t seen flooding in the park since the early 90s.

�it was the day they swore bill clinton in,� stelly said. �i lost a car and a truck that day because of the water. It was a rain just like this.�

stelly hadn�t been to check on his mobile home thursday, but thought that it would be fine.

The day wasn�t a total wash for some vatican square residents.



�we were fishing off the front porch,� laughed trina pearson. �we got a few bites.�

she sat, jeans rolled up at her ankles, on the small front porch of jackie francois� trailer. Francois� daughter lives in the same trailer park and was evacuated wednesday night.

�we�re one of the only ones who stayed because we�re on higher ground,� francois said. �if it gets any higher we�ll leave.�

the storm damage and flooding wasn�t limited to acadiana.



A house in the new orleans suburb of kenner had its roof torn off wednesday night while a tornado was confirmed in an unpopulated area in nearby st. Charles parish.



Entergy said about 8,000 of its customers in the new orleans area lost power, mostly because of tree limbs falling on utility lines, but the vast majority had been restored by dawn thursday.



Throughout the new orleans area, up to 3 inches of rain fell on saturated ground, causing street flooding throughout the region.



In baton rouge, mayor bobby simpson declared a state of emergency wednesday after heavy rain pushed water into some businesses and homes.

(the associated press contributed to this report.)
�the lafayette daily advertiser
may 14, 2004