KENNER, La. — Kenner resident Elizabeth Pena and her husband are still drying out from Hurricane Francine.
“I had sewage coming up in my tubs. Sewage. Raw sewage," Pena said.
They spent the weekend salvaging what they could and ripping out carpet until they were physically unable to.
“He said I tried to get that last bedroom with the carpet out. He said, ‘I can’t do it anymore,'" Pena said.
The couple carried their belongings to the curb using a wheelbarrow. The same way they did after Hurricane Katrina and Ida.
Now, a new date is marked on the wheelbarrow that they'll never forget – Sept. 11, 2024.
“For Francine it came in and kept rising, and kept rising and rising and rising," Pena said, “Next thing you know he’s like, 'Liz I need to start picking up.' He said, 'Water is coming through all the walls.'"
Her husband marked the waterline in the front room at around 10.5 inches.
As of Monday evening, the City of Kenner said initial damage reports show 285 homes were flooded.
Mayor Michael Glaser expects that number to rise, and he attributes the flooding to high rainfall totals.
“I feel we probably overwhelmed the pumping capacity even if all the pumps were running," Glaser said.
Two of the pumps in the Duncan Canal never came back on after the station lost power despite generators being activated, Glaser said.
Three of four of the pumps at the airport were also offline, Glaser said.
“When those pumps aren’t running, the airport is all concrete and that just spills into our drainage system," Glaser said.
Jefferson Parish and the City of Kenner have projects in place to increase the pumping capacity, but they are roughly three years from being 'reality,' Glaser said.
Now, cherished belongings are piles of debris.
“But what do you do? Pray. That’s all I can do," Pena said.
Pena said her auto insurance deemed her car a total loss.
She also lost her fridge, furniture and boxes they hadn't unpacked yet after Hurricane Ida.
“It’s hard to know you don’t have any food. Or anything cold to put your food in. Or go to the grocery and buy groceries. I took all that for granted," Pena said, "And now, like I said, we’re living out of an ice chest.”
She's now made it through three major storms, but she hasn't given up yet thanks to her faith, and the neighbors that are delivering hot meals and hope.
