KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |Dorcheat Bayou flooding home along Lake Bistineau

Dorcheat Bayou flooding home along Lake Bistineau

Tuesday evening information on Bayou Dorcheat from the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office
Webster Parish officials received several calls today from individuals requesting emergency distribution of additional sand bags to low lying areas around Lake Bistineau.  With waters creeping up to near record levels, hundreds of homes and camps are flooded-some by water levels chest deep.

The White Perch area on Bistineau, south of Sibley, is one area completely inundated with flood waters.  Emergency responders and community members addressed a specific need today; one involving a couple who have owned their lake home for more than 30 years. 

"They said their home flooded years ago during the early 90s event for the first time," said WPOHSEP Director John Stanley.  "After that the couple built their own levy around their property and it has kept the flood waters away for years-until today."

Reports came in to 911 indicating that portions of the home's levy were being overtopped and the need for sandbags was urgent.  The Webster Sheriff's Office and Webster Office of Homeland Security coordinated efforts with the Webster Parish Police Jury to fill and provide several hundred sandbags to the area.

"Several neighbors were helping the couple, who are less able to lift and manage the weight of sandbags," explained Jenny Reynolds, spokesperson for Webster Parish Sheriff and OHSEP.  "But the access roads to their home, as well as to numbers of other homes in that area, are severely flooded and only accessible by boat."

The need was so urgent, as a breach of the levy would cause the high waters completely surrounding the home to rush in rapidly and fill the couple's home in minutes, so responders acted quickly to address the need.

"We had parish inmates available to load the trailered sandbags onto a front end loader of the Webster Police Jury's," explained Stanley.  "Then the Jury handled delivery of the bags through the high waters to the furthest point at which they could travel before getting in too deep.  At that point the bags were then loaded into boats and ferried a couple hundred yards down the flooded street to the home where inmates, Police Jury officials and neighbors quickly worked in attempt to secure the levy."

It is for reasons like this that Webster officials have strongly advised and will continue to encourage residents to leave the area until waters have receded to safe levels.  "This couple, while understandably protective of their home, is putting themselves at serious risk by choosing to stay in their home under these conditions," explained Stanley.  "We've urged them to leave; but we can't make people leave their homes."

By the end of today, officials had delivered hundreds of sand bags to a variety of locations along the Lake in response to requests, and calls continue to come in as residents attempt to respond and save their homes and belongings.  "It's a terrible thing," said Reynolds.  "But all we can do at this point is respond to emergency needs and wait it out."

As a result of the swelling Bistineau waters, officials report that Hwy. 163 South of Doyline is expected to be closed sometime tonight due to flooding.  Visit www.websterparishla.org for continued updates and information.