Coastal communities like Mandeville and Madisonville that were left under several feet of tidal surge from Gustav and Ike are finally drying out. Hopefully, this time it’s for good.

Mandeville saw about 7 feet of water on its Lakefront from Gustav and nearly 8 feet of water from Ike. Most of the same houses, possibly more, that flooded during Gustav also received water from Hurricane Ike, Mayor Eddie Price said.

The high water that had dozens of streets closed, flooded structures and left cars floating like pieces of debris has since receded, leaving a muddy mess in its wake.

Louisiana Highway 1077 in Madisonville remained one of the last roadways closed due to standing water. (Staff Photo by Chad Ruiz)

“The cleanup process has already begun and is going good,” Price said. “We’re asking people to continue putting their debris near the street for pickup.”

The debris removal is being funded by FEMA, Price said, on a 75/25 ratio, where the city would pay 25 percent of the costs.

Price also said there were no injuries resulting from the storm, although the Mandeville Police Department and Fire Protection District 4 had to rescue several people from their homes because of the rising water.

Price said debris pickup will not last forever, so he is encouraging residents to get it picked up and put out quickly.

Madisonville was also hit hard by Gustav then Ike, which left the small town closed to outsiders for several days thanks to flooded roadways.

Mayor Peter Gitz said he’s looking forward to getting back to “business as usual,” even though a handful of homes and business were flooded.

Ike’s tidal surge brought in much of the decaying plant material from the adjacent marshes, leaving the town to also deal with the de-oxygenation of the Tchefuncte, where hundreds of fish and other sea creatures are floating to the surface and gasping for air.

That problem should sort itself out by next week, Carlton Dufrechou, executive director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation said.