Surge devastates parts of northshore 08/30/05 (Lacombe devastated)

[CottonBear]

Surge devastates parts of northshore

Emergency workers save residents off rooftops after water rushes homes
By SANDY DAVIS
[e-mail]
Advocate staff writer

Advocate staff photo by Mark Saltz
Mark Frosch, left, a firefighter with the St. Tammany Fire District No. 3, and Joe Impastato, far right, rescue Rosemary Pierre, center, and her son Jesse Pierre Monday from their flooded home on Lake Road in Lacombe. LACOMBE

-- A 15-to 20-foot tidal surge swept over the northeast shoreline of Lake Ponchartrain at the tail end of Hurricane Katrina on Monday, devastating portions of Slidell, Lacombe and Mandeville.

"I pray to God that everyone made it through this nightmare safely," said Lacombe Alderman Joe Impastato. "But we won't know the answer to that until some of the roads are cleared and the flood waters go down."

Emergency workers in boats plucked residents off rooftops after water rushed into their homes leaving them trapped.

Rain, along with the tidal surge, flooded homes and roads while scores of giant pine and oak trees toppled by the hurricane blocked nearly every road in and out of the Northshore area.

The tidal surge hit between noon and 1 p.m. Much of southeast Louisiana, especially the New Orleans area, suffered Katrina's wrath while other parts of the state became shelters for evacuees.

more...
http://2theadvocate.com/stories/083005/new_surge001.shtml

This is awful news. The storm surge came AFTER the hurricane had passed and people were assessing the condition of their homes. They never saw it coming.