HOUMA, La. — Terrebonne Parish opened 18 sandbag sites Thursday morning to help people get ready for Cristobal.
"Better to be prepared early," James Henry said as he filled up sandbags. "Try to keep the water out of the building."
All day Thursday, people stopped by the sandbag locations to protect their homes and businesses from potential flooding.
"Want to make sure we don't get water in the house if we can avoid it," Wayne McElroy said.
"There is a chance we could get 10 to 15 inches of rain," said Earl Eues with the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. "It could bring lot of rain here and if for some reason it would stall and cause us issues, we could have severe water here just from the rain fall."
For the Bayou Black and Gibson community, there is a brand new pumping station that's only been in operation for a few days. Parish leaders believe it may protect homes that otherwise could flood in storms like Cristobal.
"It's going to give us some additional pumping capacity in this area that we didn't have before," said Mart Black, Coastal Restoration Director for Terrebonne Parish.
The $14.5 million Hanson Canal pump station can pump 1,000 cubic feet per second, giving the area in Terrebonne Parish protection they didn't have before.
"To prevent backwater flooding all along Bayou Black," Black said.
The southern part of the parish from Morganza to the Gulf Levee System, parish leaders are expecting a 4-to-6 foot storm surge.
"The way it's looking right now, we will probably call a mandatory evacuation for that area later on in the weekend," Eues said.
That's why they're all preparing for whatever Cristobal may bring.
"For those who stay home like us, all you do is sit home and wait for it," McElroy said.
To sign up for emergency notifications with Terrebone Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, click HERE.
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