Bayou Corne resident celebrating life at the sinkhole
BAYOU CORNE, LA (WAFB) - Texas Brine reports 86 homeowners who live in Bayou Corne have sold their homes to the company. Brine is responsible for the 35-acre sinkhole in Assumption Parish that resulted in evacuations on August 3, 2012.
Residents began the slow process of finding another place to live when the disaster happened. However, not everyone is moving.
Signs of life are still very present in the small community. Children's toys and barbeque pits paint a picture of family life, only most of the people who live here are gone. But in a home on the quiet bayou, Kathryn Brown is carrying on.
Since the turn of the century, she said, this has been home.
“It was getting close to retirement and my husband was looking for a nice place and this is where we ended up,” Brown said.
Brown has a deep appreciation for LSU, gardening, and relaxing with her dogs. She still enjoys watching the boats cruise down the bayou.
But less than a block from her property is somewhat of a monstrosity. Texas Brine bought out some of her neighbor's homes and installed a vent well on some of the properties.
While it might seem like an eyesore to some, Texas Brine said the vent wells are there to keep residents and passing motorists safe.
Assumption Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness Director, John Boudreaux, said it is a welcomed sight to those, like Brown, who have chosen to stay and continue to trust that Brine is actively venting gas from the aquifer.
“It's under your home now and until it's removed that risk is still there,” Boudreaux said.
Brown said staying informed has helped relieve any fears she might have. She said it also helps to poke a little fun at the situation. She has decided to erect a yard ornament of her own to show how she is celebrating life at the foot of a sinkhole.
“It changes every season. This week we'll work on LSU and put the shirts and caps on them,” Brown said.
Brown said she is already making plans for Christmas and every holiday that follows.
“Right now this is our paradise. This is where we want to stay,” Brown said.
Texas Brine has not said what they plan to do with the properties they have acquired.
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