WALKER - Some residents in Livingston Parish are dealing with flooding after storms moved through the area Saturday night. Neighbors in Walker say the water left behind is part of a problem they have been facing for years.

According to Entergy, more than 2,000 customers in Livingston Parish lost power during the storms. Many residents woke up Sunday morning not only without electricity, but also to flooded yards and driveways.

Erin Szekely and Susan Smith, who live off Highway 447 in Walker, say drainage problems have repeatedly caused water to build up around their properties during heavy rain.

“Looking out my front window and seeing the water creeping closer to my porch is not a comfortable feeling,” Szekely said.

Szekely said the flooding happens even during routine storms.

“It’s just with the heavy rain. I mean, this is not a hurricane,” she said.

Szekely believes trees near a culvert along the highway are contributing to the problem.

“What is affecting our culvert is the trees along the highway in front of property we don’t own,” she said.

The two neighbors say they often try to clear debris from nearby drainage ditches themselves, but the issue keeps returning when storms move through the area.

“The leaves falling and branches in the ditches. We’ve tried cleaning it up multiple times over the years and it’s just a recurring problem,” Smith said.

Szekely and Smith say they have reached out to local officials for help but have not found a solution.

“We’ve been told that anything between the power lines and the road is the property owner’s responsibility, but when we say we’ll just cut down trees they say don’t do that. So we’re just at a stalemate,” Smith said.

In a statement Sunday, Livingston Parish President Randy Delatte said parish crews work to keep drainage systems clear but rely on the public’s help as well.

“Our crews work hard to keep ditches and culverts clear, but we really need the public’s help by keeping debris and trash out of those drainage systems,” Delatte said.

Livingston Parish has long dealt with flooding concerns, where even a few inches of rain can create problems in low-lying areas. 

For residents like Szekely, the situation feels frustrating.

“We’re fighting an uphill battle because of stuff we don’t own,” she said.

Parish leaders say they are continuing to work on long-term drainage improvements across the parish.