Looking Back

By News Staff on Monday, August 30, 2021
Sowing sorrow: Evangeline Parish farmers lose acres of crops to historic flooding
  • AUGUST 28, 2016 - Rains from the weekend of Aug. 13 reflooded rice fields that had been previously drained in anticipation of harvest time. Several farmers began harvesting rice again a few days after the flood, and more than a week later, many were still harvesting in muddier-than-usual conditions. (Gazette photo by Claudette Olivier)
    AUGUST 28, 2016 - Rains from the weekend of Aug. 13 reflooded rice fields that had been previously drained in anticipation of harvest time. Several farmers began harvesting rice again a few days after the flood, and more than a week later, many were still harvesting in muddier-than-usual conditions. (Gazette photo by Claudette Olivier)

    By: CLAUDETTE OLIVIER Lifestyles Editor (Editor’s Note: Today, the Ville Platte Gazette concludes its look back at the historic flood of 2016 that caused vast damage across the state.) POINT BLUE — Point Blue farmer Mitch Soileau started letting his rice fields drain at the end of July in anticipation of the August harvest time, but Mother Nature decided to flood the fields all over again the…