The Acadiana Planning Commission, FEMA and The Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness held a joint meeting in the Evangeline Parish Courthouse Wednesday to discuss Watershed Assessments that are being prepared by FEMA.  Watershed (as pictured) is an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.  The Pilot Assessment was performed for Vermilion Parish and that was the focus of the meeting for informational purposes.  Assessments for the 22 Watershed that were affected by the March and August 2016 flooding will be released on August 3^rd. 

The Acadiana Planning Commission brings 7 parishes together: Lafayette, Evangeline, Acadia, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin and Vermilion.  Parish Presidents, State Representatives, Emergency Officials and officials from around these parishes attended the meeting and many said the focus is to work together so one entity is not ‘dropping water on another one’ in efforts to solve drainage problems.  These include in the Mermentau River, Vermilion River and Bayou Teche in our area. 

In the March flooding there were over 14,000 structures damaged; and in the August flooding there were over 78,000.  A representative from FEMA’s National Disaster Recovery Support Team said Louisiana “has had too much water moving over its land mass, too many times.”  This was the first meeting of many to come to discuss this problem and continue discussions on how to work together.