The St. Edwards subdivision in New Iberia was one of the hardest hit in Iberia Parish during the historic flood of 2016. Six months later, many residents are back in their homes but the rebuilding process is still underway.

Audrey August has lived in New Iberia for nearly 30 years, but on August 13th, 2016, flood water forced her out of her home.  Several feet of water filled Audrey’s home, keeping her in a shelter for a month. But she credits local government, United Way and FEMA for making the transition as smooth as possible.

Since the flood, United Way of Iberia assisted close to 700 households with shelter and recovery.  That includes operating the shelter with the community emergency response team for the first seven days.

Officials in Iberia Parish and across the state have come up with ways to improve drainage since the historic floods.  Iberia Parish president Larry Richard says their drainage project will be expensive, but necessary.

Parish president Richard says he’s working alongside several officials in surrounding parishes, to find a solution for drainage concerns in Acadian.