ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. — Flood waters were up to some people’s doorsteps in St. John Parish on Wednesday. Some homeowners in the area were wondering if the storm water pumps were working.
When Josh Payne came home from work at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, flood waters had just reached his driveway.
“It’s devastating,” Payne said. “This is the third time since Hurricane Ida that our house has flooded.”
An hour later, his entire front yard was underwater.
“It’s frustrating. We’re paying out of pocket until the insurance comes through,” Payne said.
This is the second time Payne’s property has flooded just this month, and he’s still in the middle of repairing the damage caused by severe weather on Jan. 8th.
“They just finished my sheetrock today, but it looks like I’ll have to do it again,” Payne said.
To make matters worse, Payne claims the storm water pumps in his neighborhood aren’t running, but when he called St. John Parish, they said the pumps are working and being monitored.
“No one can answer questions about what can be done about it. You ask the parish to do something, and they clean the ditches, which is basically just cutting the grass,” Payne said.
His next-door neighbor’s front yard was under water too, and their home also took on water earlier this month.
“There’s an account for rainy days,” Monique McGee said. “There’s a hurricane account, but to hit it multiple times in a year, not even due to a major hurricane is pretty sad.”
Now, she says it's time for the parish to step in.
“I don’t like it. I don’t like what I see, and I don’t like that nothing is being done about it,” McGee said.
WWL Louisiana called St. John Parish to ask about the status of the pumps in that neighborhood. They have not responded to our calls.
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