The back end of Hurricane Gustav left New Iberia and it looks like the damage is no where near what was predicted.

Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Wendell Raborn took reporters from The Daily Iberian on a ride through the streets from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday.

“I’m amazed there’s no more damage than that,” Raborn said.

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Quite a few branches dangled from broken or listing power lines and a few trees were split down the middle or tipped over. The majority of the debris littering the road is, however, smaller branches and leaves.

Reports of damage will come in throughout the rest of the day and night but on our hour-long tour of the city we saw that sugar cane is at a 45-degree angle.

Ditches are full of water and so are some of the roads, especially in the West End and Front Street.

Raborn said when he took a trip around 2 or 3 p.m. to rescue a family stranded on a front porch on Elizabeth Street there was no flooding in the area.

In the West End, in front of the Iberia Homeless Shelter on Robinson Street, and on Hopkins Street and Breaux Street, and several other areas there is flooding averaging 3 inches deep.

City Councilman Raymond “Shoe-Do” Lewis was out on Bank Street cleaning out drains.

“It’s my district,” he said. “I’m going to take care of my baby.”

Lewis said that he had done the same thing immediately following past hurricanes.

Several street signs are in the street, including the sign for Admiral Doyle and Zez Street. The front doors to the building in front of Ursula’s Heavenly Angels Daycare on Hopkins Street on Admiral Doyle were blown open.

A few roofs are peeling back.

Lights at most intersections are out.

Several businesses on Main Street were missing awnings though no windows seemed to be broken.

The Bayou Teche has crested near Front Street, which has flooded not with the waters of the bayou but with water bubbling out of manholes from backed up drainage in the street.

The Grand Theater sign along Lewis Street is down and several other signs are missing letters.

New Iberia Mayor Hilda Curry said the city has crews ready to clean out the streets when the wind has died down. Curry ordered all city employees to work at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Several local residents were out to check on family members’ houses or their businesses. IPSO deputies were stationed at Center and Admiral Doyle to deter them from doing so.

At least one local family was actively trying to deter looters. The plywood boarding the windows to their house was spray painted with the words “Looters Use Back Door -- Dogs Hungry.” The house with hungry dogs also had a plywood covered window spray painted with the words “Geaux Away Gustave.”

At 6 p.m., they (the sign’s words) are words the storm is heeding.

Raborn said, however, that it is still too early to determine when evacuees may begin heading home.