Youngsville Mayor Sets The Record Straight About Flooding During Barry

Mayor Ken Ritter said he was pleased with how drainage systems within the City of Youngsville performed during Hurricane Barry. Lafayette Parish was mostly spared from the catastrophic flooding that was predicted leading up to the storm. He said the estimates he's seeing is that parts of the city got about 9 inches of rainfall. With that rainfall, only two homes flooded in Youngsville. One of the homes has flooded several times and would be eligible for FEMA's repetitive loss program. As far as the other home that flooded, Ritter said a team from his office is working to determine why that home flooded.

Part of my frustration yesterday was a lot of the hype associated with some media outlets that, in my opinion, was sensationalizing what's frankly the norm in that particular area.

The Highland Ridge subdivision had water up to garages, but no homes were flooded during the storm. This is one of the locations that drew TV cameras and reporters during the day yesterday. The road leading to the neighborhood was also covered with water, but Ritter says this wasn't surprising. That road was built lower than the coulee that it drains to and it has already been built a foot higher after the August 2016 flood. He said he wouldn't be surprised if it flooded again.

Listen to the full interview below.