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LA., TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 19, _^69
SECTION ONE—PAGE THREE
;| water spills from the river, it’s bottled up in the middle
and it can’t get out.
:	“I can say this, though, it is
‘time something is done about it soon.”
Others nearby echoed his I sentiments, and John Cossich ] Jr. of Empire said the levee system “is a death trap.”
He lost one home in Betsy and his new one Monday. His father, John Cossich Sr., said he has ridden out all the hurricanes in the area during his 62 years there and added, “This was the worst. It made Betsy and the 1915 storm seem like child’s play.”
A parish water plant work--r, the senior Cossich spent Junday night in the Empire wa-er purification plant. He said he hurricane was bad enough, tut things really began to get lairy when the waters began looding the plant and bouncing) ontainers of poisonous chlorine bout.
About 3:30 p.m. Marrero rane service operator A. W. mith, 2212 Kathleen Dr., came hugging from the water-cov-red highway to the south in a Jrge diesel tractor.
HOMES OX HIGHWAY When he reached dry land, e shut off his huge machine nd shouted, “I got about a lile and a half away from Bur-5 and had to stop because two )uses are on the highway.”
He said he had tried to go Buras to pull a barge out of e electric power plant there, ater on the road was about ur feet high north of Buras, added, and there were no iidings to be seen in the com-mity except the school and a 'Jple of other parish buildings. Water still covered parts of . 23 between Port Sulphur i Empire late Monday afterin, although it was slowly re-ing. House trailers were rturned or flooded; orange 5s jutted out of the water 1 were void of fuit; cars by hundreds had water up to or r their roofs; pirogues were 3 to get from highway shoul-to front porch, and most of area took on the appearance 3ne of the wiped-out com-uties’ namesake — Venice. The Empire residents’ e o r y about the water med to be correct as miles Hwy. 23 adjacent to the sissippi River levee were wn with logs, tree sections other debris of a river-i color that one usually s along the river banks, -rews were busy clearing debris from the levee and
been!
work would begin.
WATERS RECEDE
“The waters have slowly since about “But I’ll have to make another
ing about seven feet	between Loutre	exists	anymore.	The
them and the water.	isame	is	true	for the many fish-
i Thirteen hours were spent jng campS on ^e west side of but steadily receding!atop the tank until	the four	T
out 8:30 a.m.,” he said.jwere rescued at 7 a.m. Monday. quermnes ..
Petrovich said, “It’s gone,:	Howard Wilcox, parish utilit
tour of the southern part of thejnot destroyed, it’s gone” refer-'ties director, said there was an parish before initiating any ring to the area between Buras !much as n*ne ^eet water in is.”	jand	Ft.	Jackson	10	miles	south,	jmost the flooded areas late
Parish public safety direc-'Only six buildings were left in’Monday afternoon, tor Luke Petrovich described a the mile-wide strip	and they ! “I	can’t	say	bow	many
harrowing Sunday night to Pla-jwere 75 per cent destroyed. days, weeks or months it will quemines residents over a Port; P e t r o v i c h’s home, like1 be before we can rebuild the Sulphur radio station, which fori many others, was also de-!levees anc* Eet into pump the [many hours was the only out-jstroyed.	water out,” he said. “We have
side contact for the general;	CROP	LOST	to	rebuild	the	levee around the
public.	j	Most	Plaquemines	officials! water and then pump it out.”
He said he and three others;agreed Camille was a much	"f	ro-
had ponp fn :	<-“‘cc_uuicia,agreeu	nao	a	While	Wilcox'spoke of relevee? Sundav Sht whm	rstron§er-wiIIed‘‘Iady” than Bet-biding some despairing souls
6Unday night -when ?e|sy. The parish citrus crop islspoke of giving up the long
'hard fight; but most felt it was
hurricane passed 20 miles to the; also a total loss.
east, causing water to rise rap-! wildlife was heavily hit and'the despair of the moment talk-idly-	.	Clark Hoffpauer, director of the ^S-
He and the trio climbed ! Louisiana Wild Life and Fisher- Asked if he would throw in atop a 22-foot high concrete lies Commission, said he spotted!the towel, John Cossich Sr. said, water tank and tied them- 'a lot of dead cattle, deer, fish!“You must be crazy. Hell no, selves to it. During the storm land alligators during an aerial I'm not throwing in the towel, a wall of water topped the j tour of the parish.	|	I’ve	spent	all	my life down here
15-foot high river levee and I None of the commission’s	’ ’*	!	^~‘ -
washed toward the tank, leav- j eight hunting camps at Pass-a-
and I don’t give up that easy. I’ve lived too long for that.”
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