DENHAM SPRINGS, LA (WAFB) -
With days of rain in
the forecast, a Denham Springs couple says they can't take any more water.
Especially since they've been staring at an unwanted pond since they moved into
their new home six months ago. They say they've called the parish, the mayor,
even the Governor. But no one has done anything. So, they Contacted 9.
The home in Vincent
Acres was supposed to be a place where Catherine Lane could have a garden, and
room for her dogs to roam. But when the canal beside her house took over the
yard, changes had to be made.
"When I come out
in my yard, I don't look at where I want to put a flower. I'm looking for where
the snake is sitting, where spiders are at, where the waters going to stop when
it starts raining," Catherine Lane said looking at the pool of water that
now sits on one side of her home.
Hurricane Isaac hit
while Catherine and her husband were moving in, blowing down trees and
overflowing the canal. Her husband cleared the trees, and when no one from the
city or parish would help with the ditch - he did that too.
"Put all this dirt
here to make a levee to stop the water from inundating my yard, but the water
came over."
Lane says what's she's
been left with is a breeding ground for mosquitos. She adds the heavy downpour
in January didn't help. In January she had 10 inches added to the problem in
her yard. Floodwaters reached her carport. When things began to try out, her
yard sank. She says that in turn, has caused her house to settle on one side.
She now needs to fix her roof. But no heavy equipment can be brought in to fix
anything, until the yard is more stable.
For the past few days a
crew has been dumping straw to help build her property back up.
Lane says she's been
calling her drainage district and the parish drainage board for months. She
says she was told the problem is with some homeowners who won't allow workers
on their property to clear a blockage farther down.
But now she's getting a
different story.
"I feel like I'm
getting smoke blown at me, in a nice way. And now I'm being told its not their
district."
Lane says after not
getting any local answers, she made a call to the Governor's office. She says
she was sent a letter saying her issue was a Homeland Security & Emergency
Preparedness problem. She says that office told her to call FEMA, who told her
they had nothing to do with her canal issues.
Now, she's invested in
150 pounds of lime to keep the snakes away.
"About four days
ago my son told me mom I killed one, it's under the brick," she said.
"It was a water moccasin. Three feet long."
So far Lane has killed
eight snakes.
"Actually shot
them off trees here because they stretched out catching a suntan, and I catch
em with the .22. If that doesn't work, I pull out the 12 gauge."
After reading geese and
ducks help keep snakes away, she bought 15 ducks to eventually put in the
water. The geese are on order.
"I have to protect
my property," Lane said. "I cannot get Livingston Parish out here to
do anything. Absolutely nothing."
We contacted Livingston
Parish, to see who is responsible for the area beside Lane's house. We were
told someone would call us back. We are still waiting on that call.
Copyright 2013 WAFB. All rights reserved.
This is the house that has been taken over by the creek...that side of the house used to be nice and grassy. For the past 6 months water has been taking over
In addition to getting mulch dumped in her yard to build her property up she bought 15 ducks to keep the snake away. Her son killed the last snake four days ago. She read ducks and geese are good snake distracters-the geese have been ordered.
