Flooded interchange drains revenue stream

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, October 23, 2002

By LEONARD GRAY

LAPLACE – The U.S. Highway 51 and Interstate 10 interchange recently sustained significant flooding, as much as four feet in some areas, during the back-to-back weather events of Tropical Storm Isidore and Hurricane Lili.

Businesses in the area either shut down or struggled by on a shoestring, while watching thousands of dollars go down the drain.

St. John the Baptist Parish officials are seeking a solution, not only to keep the area clear during such emergencies but also to provide a vital evacuation route north for local residents.

At Waffle House on the south side of the intersection, manager Floyd Virgil Jr. closed his business for two days because of Isidore, as the floodwaters lapped the automatic teller machine nearby.

“We lost about $8-$10,000 (due to the flooding). There’s no way to make it up,” Virgil said.

He said he did not see any damage in the area, which was surprising to him, and added he felt worst about the fact that employees lost earnings during the downtime.

“Seventy-five percent of them were flooded in,” he said, with some employees living as far away as Luling and Boutte. “I didn’t see any drainage, and that’s amazing to me. I’m from Mississippi, and we’re better prepared than that.”

At LaPlace Travel Center on the north side of the interchange, manager Pat Killgore tallied up a loss of $8,000 in inside sales, and an unknown amount for fuel sales, though the truck stop usually does $15,000 per day in fuel.

The store closed down for both Isidore and Lili, but Isidore especially caused problems with high water. One truck driver, Sidney Fairchild, ran a shuttle for employees who could approach no closer than the LaPlace Holiday Inn because of the water.

“We camped for three days for Isidore and Lili,” Killgore said, for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. They were better situated than most businesses, as the location has showers, bunks and plenty of food for truck drivers.

Power went out during Lili, but the owners dropped off a generator, which kept the televisions and refrigerators going.

“We came through all of this with a positive feeling,” Killgore said, and praised her assistant managers, Jackie Watkins and Mer Brown, and swing managers Perita Seals and Stephanie Morgan, all of whom camped out as well.

A four-foot alligator swam by the fuel pumps and provided some excitement for the employees, the critter likely loosed from the nearby swamp tour.

Killgore also told the story of the Mexican driver who spoke no English, and was trying to make it through Louisiana during the storm to Guadalajara.

The driver, in a Mazda pickup truck, was told by state troopers to exit at LaPlace and the LaPlace Travel Center was the only business in reach. However, after spending two days during Isidore of friendly pointing and pantomime, the driver headed out on Friday and called back the following Monday to report his successful arrival.

“It was a whole different world to me,” Killgore said.

The stormwaters also effectively blocked any evacuation from LaPlace north along Interstate 55.

In a response to the situation, the parish council passed a resolution to state legislators and the state highway department. The resolution seeks funding to raise the roadway with a pad of asphalt, seeing that as the easiest solution.

Chief Administrative Officer Chris Guidry said his preferred suggestion is for a raised access ramp from eastbound I-10, so people can evacuate from Belle Terre Boulevard and onto I-55.

“There’s a lot of commerce along I-55,” said Guidry. “There’s economic impact. It’s not just for convenience.”

He said he hopes federal funds will shake loose next year to work on a solution, as state funds have dried up. “Things are going to get squeezed,” Guidry said.