Residents in Livingston Parish discuss preparation for Tropical Storm Bertha
MAUREPAS, La. - People living in Livingston Parish are no strangers to tropical weather.
"The 2016 flood, which everybody brings up, which is the worst. Hurricanes Ida and Katrina -- we have lived through it, and we will survive," Leo McDaniel said.
McDaniel has called Livingston Parish home for over two decades, currently living along the Chinquapin Canal, which sits off the Amite River.
Over the years, McDaniel says he's grown to understand what kind of impact the weather can have on where he lives.
"And we have always been prepared," McDaniel said.
Something Kayne Rouyea also says he has learned over the years.
"We got the tools now necessary; everybody got boats. If big rains come, storms, you know we had the 2016 flood, and we thrive pretty well," Rouyea said.
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Rouyea says he thinks they'll get some rainfall from Tropical Storm Bertha, but he says he thinks they can handle it.
"Our local authorities and parishes have done a great job, you know, installing the water gates, and whatnot. They do a pretty good job of it in Ascension and Livingston Parish, so I feel confident in them. I think we're good to go, and think we'll be alright," Rouyea said
McDaniel, though, says his biggest fear is the wind, as he says it can cause them to flood without getting any rain.
"We'll have plenty of rain, up in Denham, Baton Rouge, even Mississippi at times, and when that water comes down, it needs to flow. If that wind comes from the south, it'll hold it on us, and we will rise with water," McDaniel said.
The Livingston Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness has been providing updates about Tropical Storm Bertha on its social media page.