As the remnants of Hurricane Gustav slowly travel north, Teche Area residents who evacuated are steadily returning home to recover from a weak Category 2 to a strong Category 1 storm.

When Gustav hit Iberia Parish Monday afternoon shortly after 2 o’clock, winds were roughly between 90 and 100 mph, a weak Category 2, said Mike Griffin, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.

The flash floods that followed brought the total rainfall from Gustav between 6 and 12 inches in Iberia, St. Mary and St. Martin parishes, Griffin said.

High water surrounds a day care center on Shot Street, where damaged trees also fell Monday during Hurricane Gustav. -- Lee Ball / The Daily Iberian Advertisement

“What’s really interesting about the storm is that as it came on shore, it just kind of followed up Highway 90 up through Lafayette, then roughly followed I-49,” said Griffin.

Though parts of Iberia Parish saw significant flooding Tuesday after Gustav hit, Iberia Emergency Preparedness Director Jim Anderson said standing waters have since receded, and flooding will not be a problem if the parish does not see more rain.

“We got a little less than expected, but we got a lot (from the storm),” said Anderson. “It veered off a bit, then at the last minute turned toward St. Martin Parish.”

The eye, which Griffin said looked “impressive” in the Gulf, somewhat collapsed by the time it reached Iberia Parish. The partial eye, though, did push directly through Iberia Parish, he said.

The storm surge that flooded Delcambre and Erath during Hurricane Rita spared the Vermilion Bay during Gustav, Griffin said, because of the angle the storm hit.

“Since the eye went over inland areas, we did not receive the catastrophic surge on Vermilion Bay,” he said.

After Gustav moved toward Central Louisiana, the winds pushing South gave Vermilion Bay a slight surge several hours after the storm passed, Griffin said.

Iberia Parish officials assisted about 1,000 people in evacuating before the storm, and Anderson predicted that between 50 and 55 percent of the parish’s population evacuated for the storm.

“We tried to discourage them a bit from coming back,” Anderson said. “We couldn’t turn them away, though, after they’d been driving so long. We’re starting to open businesses and food places, so hopefully we can support the people returning.”

Because the stream of returning residents has been steady, Anderson said there is no way to count yet how many people have returned.

There were no storm-related injuries reported in Iberia Parish, Anderson said, but two calls made to the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office did call for rescue during and toward the end of the storm.

The first call came through the Office of Emergency Preparedness Monday afternoon. Three women, one pregnant and three small children were stranded on a porch at 611 Elizabeth St.

One of the women told Capt. Richard Hazelwood they were kicked out of a Lafayette residence because of a disturbance, then picked up by someone as they walked down the road in Lafayette. They were dropped off at the Elizabeth Street location and were stranded at a residence where no one was home.

Sgt. Craig Hebert drove out during the peak of the storm to pick them up, then brought them to the Iberia Parish Jail because there were no shelters in the parish.

Another call came to Capt. Richard Hazelwood Monday afternoon from a family who was stranded in their car because their trailer split in half during Gustav. They parked the car under a carport and said they were secure for the duration of the storm, and Hazelwood said they retrieved the family after the roads were safe enough to travel on.

There were two arrests for looting, Capt. Wendell Rayborn said, and 28 total curfew violations from Sunday through Wednesday in Iberia Parish.

Curtis Viator, director of the Shepherd’s Pantry, said Second Harvest, a branch of the Louisiana Food Bank, will begin food and service operations today.

The Shepherd’s Pantry at 220 Iberia St., the Solomon House on Center Street and Our Lady of Victory Church in Loreauville will be handing out groceries, water and Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) and are trying to get ice to hand out. All locations are in need of volunteers.

“Even if everyone just puts in a half-hour or an hour, it really helps out a lot,” said Viator.

As of late Wednesday afternoon, 72 percent - 20,575 - of of Cleco’s customers in Iberia Parish were without power, said Robyn Cooper, a Cleco representative.

Initially, 97 percent of Cleco customers statewide were without power, she said.

“We still have a ways to go, but we are still diligently working,” Cooper said.

She said the utility company expected to have 80 percent of the power restored before Sunday in the state and 100 percent by Tuesday, at the latest. Those are conservative estimates, she emphasized, noting the power restorations could be sooner or later.

In Iberia, St. Martin and St. Mary parishes, 200 to 300 utility poles were broken. There was extensive transmission damage around the state and 50 to 100 transformers sustained damage from the storm.

In St. Mary Parish, Gustav hit at 1 p.m. Monday with winds of 105 mph, a Category 2 storm. By the time it reached Franklin at 2 p.m. Monday, winds were down to 90-95 mph, a Category 1 storm, Griffen said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Berwick City Councilwoman Penny Crappell said the St. Mary Office of Emergency Preparedness reported 62 percent of St. Mary Parish residents still without power. Until power is restored, the parish will keep its dusk until dawn curfew.

Approximately 85 percent of the parish evacuated, Crappell said, with the parish assisting with 1,500 evacuations. The assisted evacuees have not yet returned.

Initial reports in St. Mary Parish showed 19,809 Cleco customers without power, but that number was reduced to 12,916 Cleco customers without power Wednesday afternoon.

“People are welcome back,” she said. “But the more people who return, the more potential there is for sewage problems because of no electricity.”

The courthouse in Franklin is closed until Monday, she said, and St. Mary Parish schools are closed until Wednesday.

In St. Martin Parish, Griffen said Hurricane Gustav struck around 3 p.m. with winds near 80 mph, a Category 1 storm, with several road closures because of debris and flooding from Tuesday’s thunderstorms.

Maj. Ginny Higgens, public information officer for the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, said damage assessments are still taking place, and there are no injuries reported at this point.

Assessments will continue as the National Guardsmen clear the roads, Higgens said.

Sandbags are still available from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at different sites in the parish, and distribution sites for water, ice and MREs will be set up, but when and where will be announced soon.

Water in Catahoula is back on, but there is a “boil order” in effect, meaning people should boil their water before using it.

“We are asking people to maybe call somebody before they decide to come home because they still don’t have power in lower St. Martin,” Higgens said.     “St. Martin definitely fared well.”

Cleco reported Wednesday afternoon that 823 customers in St. Martin Parish are still without power.

Slemco reported that 7,950 St. Martin Parish customers are still without power.

“They just got water back in some places so some people will be coming back to no electricity, no bathrooms or water facilities. Don’t come back unless you absolutely have to,” Higgens said.

St. Martin resident who have damage reports to call in may call 394-2811, Higgens said.

For Teche Area residents who suffered damage from Gustav, Federal Emergency Management Agency applications are taken online at www.fema.gov, or by phone at 1-800-621-3362. It is recommended that applicants register for assistance online, but if Internet access is not available, applicants are welcome to call.

There is possible relocation assistance available through FEMA for evacuees including lodging and transportation cost reimbursements. Those who have receipts or think they are eligible should call the above phone number and ask about relocation assistance.