Residents have trouble leaving, entering North Abbeville Subdivision due to flooded road

If you had a high vehicle, you had no trouble driving into or out of North Abbeville Subdivision Wednesday morning during the rain. But, if you had a low compact car, you had a decision to make.
Wednesday morning, when the sun rose, and residents at North Abbeville Subdivision left for work or returned from work, they were greeted by high water on Darby Lane - the only road that goes into and out of the subdivision, which is less than 10 years old .
At 11:30 a.m., when the rain finally slowed, there was a line of cars that were parked on Darby Lane and the drivers were no where to be found. Four and half inches of water had just fallen on Abbeville and flooded Darby Lane over an eight-hour period, making it almost impossible for low cars to travel in or out of the subdivision.
Because of the high water, the drivers of the parked cars got out of their vehicles and walked into the subdivision to their homes.
Other drivers took chances and road in the flooded street.
“Every time there is a lot of rain, this is what happens,” yelled one motorist who was happy he made it through.
A female driver, in a compact car, asked another motorist how deep it was. The driver, coming out of the flood, recommended she drive on the shoulder near the drainage ditch.
“I hope I make it and not get stuck,” she said. She did not get stuck as she drove along the grassy area near the drainage ditch. Her car also stayed dry.
Abbeville Councilman Francis Touchet said the flood occurs because of the large amount of rain that quickly fell. The drainage ditch along Darby Lane floods and spills over onto Darby Lane. When the water went down in the ditch, the water stayed on Darby Lane because the road is lower than the coulee banks.
Touchet said he will speak to Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza about the problem and see what could be done to correct it. He said a quick fix would be to provide a pump that would pump the water off of Darby Lane and into the drainage ditch.
“We need to come up with a plan to figure out what can be done,” Touchet said. “They need to be able to get in and out of their subdivision.”