Brought To You By Michael Wynne
Alexandria has been flooded many times over the last 225 years. Here is one flood story from 1866:
From June 20, 1866 Louisiana Democrat newspaper:
“We resume publication today after an interval of 2 weeks. Our last issue had scarcely been distributed before the water commenced running over the levee above the town and by the evening of that day—Wednesday, the 30th ult.—the back water had made its appearance in the front part of the town. At about 2 o’clock the next morning, the levee gave away at the head of the street which runs between the Ice House Hotel and Goodman’s Saloon and our people woke on Thursday in the midst of a lake varying in depth from one to four feet, whose limits towards the South was beyond the naked eye. The levee also broke very early in the day on the upper side of the hotel, in front of Henarie’s, the old Court House and Williams’ Warehouse, within the limits of the town, and at the bridge near the little bayou above town, at the head of the plank road and at the mouth of Bayou Robert. All the lowlands were, of course, soon under water.
The damage to the town was very great; $200,000 would not cover it. With the exception of a dozen or so, every house was under water, from a depth varying from 3 inches to 2 feet. Early on Thursday, the walls of Goodman’s new and fine saloon were undermined and fell; as also part of the walls of Henarie’s, John Weil’s, and Irving’s brick house opposite the town hall, and in fact, nearly every brick house in town. The Ice House Hotel, which was in the midst of a strong current all the time, stood remarkably well, only the Northwest corner wall cracking off for 10 or 15 feet.- Mr. John A. Williams Warehouse was washed entirely away, and the stores of Misters’ Sullivan and J. Walker have sunk considerably out of plumb. On Thursday night, the horrors of the scene were increased by the conflagration of a house in the Southern part of town, which, for a time, threatened to spread to no inconsiderable distance.
From the country we have no received as much intelligence of the disaster as we could desire. All the lower part of the parish, between the river and Bayou Bouef, were undoubtedly under water, and all of the crops in that section, as well as many on the island above Bayou Rapides, are destroyed. And even on those places not overflowed, the incessant rains have well nigh ruined the standing crops. At the outside, we do not believe that 5,000 bales of cotton will be raised in the parish this year.
How are we to recover from the disaster that we have not sufficient foresight to understand. With a bankrupt town and a parish treasury, how are we going to repair the levees and improve the town? Alexandria now presents a succession of deep gullies and lofty sandbars; how are these to be brought back to their former position? How are our poor merchants going to rebuilt the houses which took their all to erect, or our poor planters to recover when they threw all on a chance of making a crop this year? Sadly has our parish been afflicted; war, fire and high water, all in 2 years to which perhaps may be added pestilence and famine before the summer has ended.
Our people can do much towards alleviating the sufferings of each other by dispensing those little charities which may be in the power of some who have not been so unfortunate as others. We would particularly impress upon creditors the necessary of abstaining from unnecessary prosecution of their claims in the present condition of the country. It is no time now to grind your unfortunate neighbor to powder by attempts to collect debts that are in arrears. Let their be mutual kindness, generosity and forbearance, and we may yet recover from all of our troubles. We have seen darker days, and yet the darkness was turned into light.”
