Cindy never threatened to bring hurricane-force winds, and as of Wednesday evening much of southeast Louisiana had been spared any major impact from the storm. But officials in low-lying communities outside the federal levee system said they would remain on alert until water levels receded.
“Tropical storms keep us on our toes because (water) can build up real quick,” Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle said. “Those can be serious storms because they sneak up on you and catch you unexpected. People think, ‘Ah, it’s not going to be much; it’s only 40 mph winds, yadda yadda,’ but it pushes some tides.”
In Grand Isle, a band of rain that passed through in the early morning flooded the western portion of island with heavy rains, and then at 4 a.m., a tidal surge pushed water across the streets on the eastern end.
“The water came in from the back side of the island with a big surge and came all the way to the back streets,” Camardelle said, noting the storm was still 187 miles off of nearby Port Fourchon at the time. “Most of the homes are elevated, but a lot of them have storage and cars and boats (on the ground). Most of them got their stuff up, but we didn’t expect that kind of surge to come in at that time and push in that much water.”
Camardelle said the outer fabric on the so-called “burrito levee” that protects the Gulf side of the island’s western end had torn and would have to be inspected after the storm’s 10-foot swells subside.
In Plaquemines Parish, Belle Chasse residents stayed dry thanks to the 21 workers who operate the parish pumping stations.
Their supervisor, Drainage Superintendent Greg Simpson, had about an hour of sleep total between Monday and Tuesday nights, but he and his crew labored to keep Cindy’s waters at bay.
Parish President Amos Cormier III said that when a storm comes near Plaquemines, Simpson is the most sought-after man in the parish.
“I know getting into something like this, we’re going to be at it for days,” Simpson said. “The guys that work for me, they know what the drill is.”
Simpson, 49, whose duties include managing payroll and fixing machines himself, said he’s grown accustomed to the nonstop schedule of storm preparations in his 30 years on the job.
He managed to catch a quick meal in an office at Belle Chasse Pumping Station No. 1 just before noon. The menu, provided courtesy of the parish government, was luncheon meat on white bread with a bag of chips.
“Nothing gourmet, but it’s better than nothing,” Simpson said. “I get anxious during these times, and when I get like that, I hardly even eat.”
At the same time, at Jean Lafitte in Jefferson Parish, Mayor Tim Kerner watched as the water began to rise.
Workers and volunteers in the town of fewer than 2,000 residents were in the process of deploying 20,000 sandbags and 300 rock bags, mostly in the boat launches, seafood docks and ice houses that make up the gaps in its levees.
“The tide is starting to come up now,” Kerner said, just before noon. “We’re sandbagging and hoping it doesn’t get too high.”
Kerner said that as long as the tide doesn’t get much over 4 feet, the water is manageable, but he said town and parish workers would have to monitor the situation well into Thursday.
Reached again just before 5 p.m. Wednesday, Kerner said the water was still holding at about 3¾ feet — safe, but a little too close for comfort.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “We’re still working.”
In Plaquemines, Cormier had declared a state of emergency for the parish. He said about 5 p.m. that after a day of watching the West Bank, his attention had shifted to some of the newer levees on the East Bank.
"We’re far from out of the woods," he said.
St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis had also declared a state of emergency, which could allow the parish eventually to recoup some of its expenses during the storm. Authorities there closed Delacroix Highway and Florissant Highway due to standing water.
"I just want our citizens to know, in the lower-lying areas of St. Bernard Parish, unless you absolutely need to come down here because of property or business, we ask you to stay home," McInnis said.
Cormier expected the worst flooding to come during high tide on Wednesday and Thursday, and he, Kerner and Camardelle all said they would continue to monitor the tides and the rains as Cindy headed inland.
“As long as it’s over water and it’s blowing water in, were going to act like it’s a hurricane and we’re going to do what we’ve gotta do to protect property,” Kerner said.
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