Homeowners seeing signs of hope but still concerned about prolonged flooding in Ascension – WBRZ

ASCENSION The waterline is finally falling after two weeks of stagnant flooding, but it's not dropping fast enough to ease the fears of people in parts of Ascension Parish.

Along Ridge Rd., water still lingers near homes.

One of the homes still facing water is one belonging to David Braud. It took on water in the May 17 deluge. Water rose and stuck around for days. He even had to start cleaning out his home while there was still water inside.

I saw when it was going to stop rising and I cut the sheetrock and started taking the floor out, said Braud.

There is still water filling his backyard, but Braud has seen the water level off and now, begin to fall. The parish is operating seven pumps on Alligator Bayou Road and cut the road at Fish Bayou to drain the Spanish Lake and Bluff Swamp basin last week.

It definitely helps, but there is still a lot of water in this swamp, Braud said.

And, with more rain in the forecast, Braud is worried.

Yeah, Im going to worry because if it rains enough, [the parish] is going to close those cuts and if Bayou Manchac gets high [the water] will come back in here, said David Braud.

Parish work crews are stationed near the cut on Alligator Bayou in case they need to backfill the road. The parish plans to build a permanent flood structure with a lock and gate system.

Tuesday, the parish said in a statement, the work is weather and water-level dependent, of course, but construction will begin in the foreseeable future.

I hope they can come up with a solution that can at least give us a little more peace of mind, said Braud.

Until then, Braud will continue working to clean out his home.

Were just living day by day. Itll be a while before we get back in the house but we have a place to stay and were going to make it, said Braud.

He and many others in his neighborhood are having to live at the mercy of Mother Nature.

There is a drainage meeting next week in Ascension. A group of homeowners who live on Range Rd. plan to attend to ask the parish to come up with more solutions to prevent future flooding.

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Homeowners seeing signs of hope but still concerned about prolonged flooding in Ascension - WBRZ