ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- When it comes to hurricanes or any severe weather, one of the most important things to have ready is proper drainage. And that's exactly what crews across Acadiana have been working on for the week leading up to Storm Francine's arrival.
"We go to the hotspots, we call them, and pick up debris so that way water can drain as fast as it can," said Parish President Jessie Bellard.
St. Landry Parish government has had their road crews and their public works department out here cleaning out drainage ways throughout the week to ensure areas across the parish have proper drainage to reduce the risk of flooding.
Barry Solieau, St. Landry public works director, said this work has been ongoing since Monday morning and will continue until crews can't work any longer. They'll also be relying on people from across the parish to reach out to public works and let them know what streets need to be visited.
"The key thing is they call us so we can go react to them and we try to be ahead of everything so that we can keep the issues at a minimum," Solieau said.
Bellard urges residents to notify them of any spots that need to be cleaned before the storm.
"Again, we don't know all of the spots. So, if you know it and you have a problem in your area, please notify us," Bellard said.
The number to call directly is 337-948-3688.
And as mentioned before, the work is still far from over. Drainage crews will be out here as long as they can, working on drainage ways and canals to help reduce the risk of flooding.
