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Residents, council and engineers press for regional fixes after flash floods in New Iberia area
Summary
Residents and council members pressed Iberia Parish officials on recurring flooding tied to Tbayou during a May 14 meeting, urging immediate action beyond routine ditch-cleaning. Officials said engineers working with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority are modeling fixes but noted major lake-side work would require regional partners and federal involvement.
Public officials, residents and engineers at the Iberia Parish Council meeting on May 14 clashed over how to stop repeated street- and house‑flooding tied to Tbayou and nearby channels.
Ricky Gonsaland, who identified himself as mayor pro tem of the city of New Iberia during public comment, accused parish government of failing to translate years of drainage-tax receipts into relief for city neighborhoods. “Over the last 9 years we paid $7,400,000 into the drainage fund. Tell me where $7,400,000 has been spent on the tributaries that drain our city,” he said, urging the council to hire private contractors and “drain, baby, drain.”
Later, resident Justin Swallow described flooding on Plantation Drive that he said came from a relatively small rainfall: “We’re only talking about 2 to 3 inches… I probably could have been safe if T Bayou would be cleaned out.” Swallow told the joint committee he lost his floors and has no flood insurance.
Parish offici…
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