LAPLACE, La. — Down in LaPlace hundreds of homes were damaged during Hurricane Francine. Some residents are now forced to toss out years of memories, after flood water flowed into their homes, damaging everything.
For 40 years Lorraine and Valmontine Lewis have lived in their LaPlace home. Lorraine said, "This time it was like somebody opened the flood gates or something."
The pair have weathered many storms, Valmontine said, "That's the quickest I have ever seen it and I have been through about four storms since I have been in Laplace."
Francine they say, damaged everything. Eight inches of water flowed into their beloved home. The aftermath Inside, the carpet now ripped up, the sheetrock removed, and now they say, they're battling growing mold.
Lorraine said, "Everything is damaged that I got, everything."
"My furniture, my cabinets, my clothes."
Next door, it's a similar tale. Conella Hampton said, "Everything in the garage we lost, like ceiling fans, washing machines, ceiling fans we were about to put up."
According to the parish 300 homes across St. John The Baptist were damaged – 100 of those homes suffered flood damage. Parish President Jaclyn Hotard says the parish is working with residents who experienced damage, saying, "Unfortunately what we typically see, by way of flooding is storm surge, this storm was a little different, we didn't see that storm surge flooding that we typically would, because of the high amounts of rainfall in a short period of time, we saw some flooding in some low-lying areas."
She went on to say, "We are constantly looking at ways to move some improvements, whether it's some localized pump stations or assisting homeowners with elevation if they are eligible for an elevation grant."
For the Lewis's, Francine's power may've been their final straw. "This time, I think we're getting a little too old for this. Its just too much, we can't do it all," said Lorraine.
For 40 years, they shared their lives together inside these four walls. Now all their loving memories and collectables tossed on the curb, ready for collection come Friday morning.
For details on debris collection across St. John the Baptist, head this link.
Those in St. John the Baptist Parish may be eligible for FEMA disaster assistance. To find out more, head to this link.
