Higher Ground

When the group of outside planners first set up shop in Vermilion Parish to talk about the future of the small Acadiana towns hit hard by Hurricane Rita, the proposal that caught everyone's attention was for moving the entire town of Erath, which has repeatedly flooded over the years, to higher ground.


Mayor George Dupuis listened to all the dreamy discussions and knew that neither the idea -- nor the town -- was going anywhere.

The phone calls began pouring into the Erath City Hall immediately after the proposal was first explained, he said, with elderly residents most offended by the idea of moving from their longtime homes.

from the Times Picayune