Will we have to experience two more major floods before we take action?
Dredge the Vermilion
Much like the August 2016 flood, the Vermilion experienced three MAJOR floods in the 1940s. As a result, some major projects were executed in the ’50s including dredging the Vermilion and the building the gates at Bayou Courtableau. These actions effectively protected our homes and communities for almost 65 years!
We had NO additional major floods for 65 years UNTIL the flood of 2016.
august 2016 flooding
government expenses
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Homes Significantly Damaged
Louisiana FEMA Flood Insurance, Grants, and Loans Payouts
Recap of the Flood of August 2016
• Teche-Vermilion Watershed had approximately 10,375+ Homes Flooded
• Louisiana had 84,900+ Homes Flooded
• Numerous Businesses either Flooded or Adversely Impacted
• Louisiana FEMA Flood Insurance, Grants, and Loans Payouts = $4.259 Billion
• Has lead to revised Flood Maps that will increase Flood Insurance Rates
Why are we flooding?
Learn about the various factors that impact our flood conditions.
Our project recommendations
Learn about actionable solutions proposed to reduce catastrophic flooding within Acadiana and the surrounding areas.
Take action now!
Ready to take action to protect our homes and businesses from catastrophic flooding?
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We must have a sense of urgency
to resolve these problems!
If the Vermilion River was a heart attack patient, the doctor would be surprised it’s still alive!
This is the river at Perry, South of Abbeville. The authorized channel is colored in white. Shoals and shallows are in pink. You can see that the water is flowing as intended, and following our theme, you could say that this were the ideal heart patient. The doctor would give them a good bill of health.
This is the River at Milton. You can see that the authorized channel colored in white is much narrower and the shoals in pink are much more intensive.
If the river were a heart patient and the channel was his arteries, the doctor would be concerned with the blockage.
This is the river at Lafayette. You can see that the authorized channel colored in white is non-existent. The shoals in pink are completely blocking the river, acting like a dam.
Again, if the river was a heart patient and the channel was his arteries, the doctor would be surprised he was still alive with 100% blockage in his widow maker!
This is the River’s frequency of 12′ or greater flood events since January 1 2019. Note that we only had 11 of these floods between 1940 and 1980. This is the equivalent to the patient’s electrocardiogram history of heart attacks.
As you can see from the data available, we are experiencing a significant increase of flooding events, join us in our mission to reduce catastrophic flooding within Acadiana and the surrounding areas by educating yourself and those you know, and by donating today to help us to continue our work.
Latest News
A Body of Evidence – The Biggest Flood Risk to Lafayette
Lafayette LA 2-19-2025 After a frontal passage that brought rain to the area the Dredge the Vermilion's (DTV) Boards Text Group became very active after the following comment-question was posted by a board member: " Question the river climbed from 5 plus feet to over...
Two Major Disasters – Wildfires in California in 2025 and Flooding in Louisiana in 2016. What do they have in common?
These two disasters, in fact, had a lot in common. This article will explore those similarities. 1.The reasons given by the authorities for these two disasters were very similar: The Blame Game It was due to climate change. We didn’t have adequate funding to manage...
DTV on Acadiana Open Channel @6pm Sunday will Update on 3 Flood Initiatives
8/25/2024 DTV will provide updates regarding 3 very important regional flood management efforts on Acadiana Open Channel at 6pm Sunday 8/25/2024. We will be on EcoLogic which is scheduled for AOC 1 Live Stream on (LUS Fiber Channel 3 / Cox Channel 15) or available via...
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Do your part to ensure a better future for Acadiana by giving what you can today. Whether it’s your time or your money, every little bit counts as we fight to prevent future catastrophic flooding!