TERREBONNE PARISH, La. — Terrebonne Parish put up 112 people in hotels overnight who were under evacuation orders. Officials were thankful as they evaluated storm damage after Hurricane Laura saying it could have been much worse.
Highway 56 to Cocodrie is now open. The rolling floodgate was closed overnight. South of there, cleanup is underway. Water, debris and marsh grass covered the roads.
“We have emergency response down there now making sure roads are clear, make sure things are safe for our community to start moving back south of the Morganza,” Sheriff Tim Soignet said.
The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office determined it is safe to reopen that road to the coast after evaluating debris and potential downed power lines.
Guy Buras has a fishing camp in Cocodrie, below the floodgate. His camp took in about a foot of water.
“With the magnitude of the storm, I thought there was going to be a lot more damage,” he said.
Outside the levee system, Terrebonne Parish officials estimate a 4-to-5 foot storm surge swept in overnight.
“It’s bad news for us. As soon as the water hits the gate, the water piles up,” Buras said.
Outside the levees, water covered roads and made its way inside some buildings.
“Hose it out, put the dehumidifiers on and that's it. Not much for me, I’m one of the fortunate ones,” Buras said as he cleaned out his camp. “It’s part of it. You have a fishing camp on the water, you’re going to have to deal with some issues."
Inside the floodgates, Terrebonne Parish officials are thankful the levee system worked as expected, protecting the rest of the parish.
“The levee system held up, done what it was intended to do,” Sheriff Tim Soignet said.
There is a curfew in effect from 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. outside the Morganza until further notice.
Some floodgates will remain closed until water recedes, likely sometime Friday.
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