Avoyelles prepares for possible flooding

    A “state of emergency” request has been sent to the state seeking assistance to address possible flooding in areas of the parish along the Red River, the Avoyelles Police Jury was told this past Tuesday.

    Joey Frank, parish Office of Emergency Preparedness director, said he is requesting 30,000 sandbags from the state, to be filled at the state prison in Cottonport. He has also requested that the National Guard patrol the levees to ensure there are no problems in the levee system.

    The river is expected to crest in this area early this week. Police Jury President Charles Jones said parish employees will be placed on standby with trucks to respond to any emergency situation that might occur over the next several days.

    Officials with several agencies have said the southern section of the river should be spared the more serious flooding that has hit the northern parishes. An advisory from Richard Brontoli, Red River Valley Authority (RRVA) executive director, said that the three northern lock and dam structures had been closed earlier this month and Lock & Dam 2 north of Marksville was to be closed this past Wednesday.

   Lindy Boggs Lock & Dam at Brouillette is not expected to be closed by the rising river. Brontoli noted that by closing the lock and dams, the river’s level is at “the same elevation as if the L&Ds were not there.”

   The Mississippi River at Red River Landing was 3.5 feet above flood stage this past Monday. However, the Atchafalaya was still several feet below flood stage. Brontoli’s advisory also cautioned any boats on the river at Lock & Dam 2 due to a current exceeding 200,000 cubic feet per second. He said any businesses or industry suffering economic impact due to the high water should record those losses and report it to the RRVA.

   “This will be critical for attempts to get additional funding to repair damages and get the system back into shape,” Brontoli said. The RRVA can be contacted at 318-221-5233.

    In another matter at the June 9 meeting, the Police Jury forwarded to the Avoyelles District Attorney’s Office a request by seven landowners that the parish abandon Wolf Prairie Bridge over Bayou Natchitoches.

   James Guillot, one of the landowners, said the property owners appreciated the jury’s efforts in repairing the bridge after the state closed it for being unsafe. However, he said, even repaired, the timber bridge has only a 5-ton load limit. Guillot said the land owners farm 3,500 acres in that area and “we are the only ones who have any business being there.”

    Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge is north of that area, but access to the refuge is from a different direction and not from the Wolf Prairie Bridge and Log Road in question.

   Guillot said the farm equipment used requires a bridge of at least 50 to 60 tons. The property owners will create a “bridge corporation” to construct and maintain the bridge for their use. Property owners have said they would be willing to reimburse the Police Jury for the cost of the recent repairs as part of the abandonment agreement.

   The jury sent the request to District Attorney Charles Riddle, who will meet with the landowners’ attorney, Rodney Rabalais, to discuss the issue further.

   “I think this is a win-win situation for everybody,” Guillot said. “The Police Jury gets rid of a bridge, we can build the kind of bridge we need and you will never have to see us here again.”