Updated March 14, 2016
(ST. TAMMANY, WASHINGTON PARISHES, La.) — On Friday, March 11, 2016, citizens of Mandeville, Covington, Bogalusa, and surrounding parishes witnessed major flooding and record-setting rainfall that has continued into Saturday.
“Katrina was not this bad,” Heidi Thiess, resident of Lazy River Estates in Covington, said. “Isaac was (closer to this water level).”
Helen Kemp has been a resident of Bogalusa for 52 years and has never seen flooding to this magnitude.
“Even when I got up at 7:30 a.m., I didn’t expect (the water) to get in my house,” Kemp said. “Never underestimate the power of water. (The things we lost) are only material things. Life is more important, and things that we lose (can be) replaced.”
Citizens trapped in their homes continue to be rescued and evacuated by means of boat and military vehicles from the help of neighbors, government workers, and homeland security who issued a mandatory evacuation for the most impacted areas.
“(We are trying to protect the citizens by) blocking off all the high traffic roads that has water running through them with barricades,” first responder Jeffery Boone said. “(I realized this was not a normal storm) when several roads and bridges started going under.”
While some areas were impacted by the storm, some were left nearly untouched such as Lewisburg Estates in Mandeville, which in the past has been flooded by previous heavy storms.
“Usually after a massive storm, water is under our house, but we were fortunate that the flooding did not get onto our slabs,” resident of Lewisburg Estates, Matt Boucre, said. “The Lewisburg Estates was more impacted by the wind earlier during the week, causing the water level to rise from Lake Pontchartrain.”
Local businesses have also been affected. The Chimes, a popular Covington restaurant, came within inches of becoming flooded in its main dining area.
Due to extensive flooding in the area, St. Paul’s School cancelled classes both Friday, March 11, and Monday, March 14, and plans to resume classes on Tuesday, March 15, with a five-class schedule of DEFGA. Check The Paper Wolf Twitter page for further updates.
(Photos By jordan Kliebert)
The Paper Wolf 
[…] As the first day of Founder’s Week began on Monday morning, specific emphasis was given to the core principle of “concern for the poor and social justice.” Thus, the Lasallian Youth Leaders (LYL) created “Jar Wars,” a charity competition in which each grade level placed monetary donations in their designated class jar, attempting to raise more money than other participating grade levels. In this contest, students placed coins in their own grade level’s jar to earn credits, and placed paper money in other grade levels’ jars to discredit them. At the contest’s conclusion, funds from each jar were counted and compiled. All proceeds benefited the recovery efforts of St. Joseph’s Abbey and Seminary College, which was ravaged by damaging flood waters in March. […]
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[…] (ST. BENEDICT, La.) — Not since the Great Mississippi Valley Flood of 1927 has the St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary College, which lay on a steep bluff above the Bogue Falaya River, flooded to the degree it did in March 11 of last year. […]
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[…] As the first day of Founder’s Week began on Monday morning, specific emphasis was given to the core principle of “concern for the poor and social justice.” Thus, the Lasallian Youth Leaders (LYL) created “Jar Wars,” a charity competition in which each grade level placed monetary donations in their designated class jar, attempting to raise more money than other participating grade levels. In this contest, students placed coins in their own grade level’s jar to earn credits, and placed paper money in other grade levels’ jars to discredit them. At the contest’s conclusion, funds from each jar were counted and compiled. All proceeds benefited the recovery efforts of St. Joseph’s Abbey and Seminary College, which was ravaged by damaging flood waters in March. […]
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