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Residents in the capital area preparing ahead of tropical system

1 hour 48 minutes 45 seconds ago Wednesday, June 17 2026 Jun 17, 2026 June 17, 2026 10:19 PM June 17, 2026 in News
Source: WBRZ

EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH - Just yesterday afternoon, along Zerlee Street in Scotlandville, Patricia Ann Smith's front yard was covered in water.

"I don't know what type of weather that was came through and swooped up on us like that. It was horrible. I was scared, I was pleading Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," Smith said.

On Wednesday, presenting more concerns about what's to come, which is why Smith is planning ahead.

"Having to get somewhere else to stay for the night, making sure that my car is safe because, if my car was floating in that water yesterday, I can only imagine what would have happened to me had I tried to come out to get to safety," she said.

In Zachary, drone footage is helping city officials determine potential areas for flooding. Mayor David McDavid says they have several areas of concern.

"We brought our drone from the fire department to put it on the Old Baker Road area, and we started looking. We already got some water in yards right now, and like I said, the ditches and canals are full, and we're looking to see where the problems could be at right now," McDavid said.

One of those yards with water is Jessie Wilkinson's. He says he's been moving items in his yard to more elevated areas, in the case of more flooding.

"we just going to end up parking down the street and hope for the best. I got my boat back there. If we need to get out of here, we have done that before. I bought motors and all to ride around here, that's how deep it gets," Wilkinson said.

McDavid says they are expecting some significant impacts from the weather overnight.

"We've done a good job on drainage. We've worked in different areas, where we've had problems with drainage, trying to get it out of there. Unfortunately, the diversion canal is holding some of that up right now, like I said, we're here for solutions, we're not pointing fingers, and we're going to continue working hard to make sure people stay dry and safe," McDavid said.

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