Tangipahoa Parish Residents Return To Assess Water Damage

Grayish, engorged and dead, dozens of earthworms were scattered across the front porch of Rita Vicknair’s home. Her door is swollen, too, and took a heave to open. Ankle-deep water pools in the living room. Floodwater has seeped into the computer screen at her desk and thrashed cabinets and other furniture about the home. An AR rifle was deposited on the ground next to a guitar. Diapers litter the floor of her bedroom. The odor hung in the air here, as it did over all of Ponchatoula — spoiled food, sewage and soggy things.