Forum searches for flooding solutions in Lafayette, by KATC-TV, January 30, 2018
A standing-room only crowd showed up for the Acadiana Group of the Sierra Club Delta Chapter's public forum to address flooding concerns in the Acadiana region on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, at the Lafayette Southern Regional Public Library.
A panel of community leaders highly informed about water management in the Acadiana area were featured at the forum, including Dave Dixon, Engineer - Principal Presenter; Don Segura, Manager of Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District; David Cheramie, Manager of Bayou Vermilion District; Guy Cormier, St. Martin Parish President; Bill Fontenot, St. Landry Parish President; Monique Boulet, Chief Executive Officer, Acadiana Planning Commission; Mark Wingate, P.E., Deputy District Engineer, US Army Corps of Engineers; Nick Sims, Project Manager, US Army Corps of Engineers; and Harold Schoeffler, Chair, Sierra Club Acadian Group.
The Sierra Club Acadian Group is concerned about the historic flooding that occurred in Acadiana parishes in August of 2016. It is reported that FEMA paid for flood-related repairs to 4,000 homes at a cost of $359 million. Forty percent of the homes had flooding of less than one foot.
"The focus of this forum is to explore options for actions that can be taken by parishes, by the Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District, or by the US Army Corps of Engineers that could reduce future flood levels in the area," says Harold Schoeffler, Chair, Sierra Club Acadian Group.
A selection of maps was available for forum attendees to view. A question and answer session followed the presentations.
For more information, visit the Acadian Group's website.