‘Water came in so fast’: Morgan City woman’s home flooded by Hurricane Francine

MORGAN CITY, La. (KLFY) — Martha Young and her sister believe a reason their family home was flooded by Hurricane Francine was because a water pump was not turned on in time.

Hurricane Francine rolled through Morgan City on Wednesday as a Category 2 storm, bringing strong winds and rain. Among the areas hit the hardest were east of Acadiana, with part of St. Mary Parish experiencing flood and damage.

Young said the water rushed into the family home’s utility room and quickly reached their ankles.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that amount of water. I was trying to be prepared, but that water came in so fast,” Martha said.

Her son, Merrick Young, is a contractor and is helping her, and others who need assistance, recover from the hurricane damage.

Martha said the flood waters did not recede until Thursday morning. Although she is grateful the flooding is gone, she said its possible that the flooding would not have been as bad if the pumps were turned on in time.

“When you need help, you need help. And, if the pumps are going to help us, we expect the pumps to be on,” Martha said.

In addition to the flooding, Hurricane Francine brought strong winds that blew over trees, power lines, and even a brick wall.

With cleanup efforts underway, Merrick said the damage they are recovering from is not the worst the parish has experienced.

“Mainly, you have vegetation damage. So, trees down, roads blocked. But the good thing is you’re not seeing a lot of structural damage,” Merrick said.