EBR crews working to clear drainage ditches ahead of heavy rains

EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, LA (WAFB) - Parish workers were out in full force Thursday afternoon to clear drainage ditches around East Baton Rouge Parish in preparation for anticipated strong rains.

Rain intensity will pick up for the next couple of hours, but it looks like amounts should be manageable in most spots. Follow the rains with our NEW radar interface on our website >> https://t.co/dhzL5gtyNE pic.twitter.com/0rF7cOcvYo
— Steve Caparotta, Ph.D. (@SteveWAFB) January 3, 2019

One of the areas they hit was Machost Road near Zachary. They had to clear piles of leaves and debris that were blocking the drainage pipes. Officials say they try to clear as many as they can ahead of storms.

Sandbags available in East Baton Rouge Parish due to slight risk for heavy rainfall

“On these severe events or severe thunderstorms and rain events, our crews are out even more checking these areas where we’ve had problems in the past," said Kyle Huffstickler with the Department of Public Works. "If the homeowners can do a little maintenance and get out there and remove those leaves from the culverts around their driveways, the water will drain off faster.”

Workers also say they’ve received calls about beaver dams blocking drainage. Homeowners are advised to call 311 for any drainage issues.

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