New Orleans residents are grabbing shovels and clearing clogged catch basins themselves after waiting weeks, months — and sometimes years — for help from the Sewerage and Water Board. With heavy rain always looming over a city built below sea level, a blocked street drain is more than an eyesore; it can be the opening act for flooding.
The most striking example came from Mid-City business owner Vassiliki Ellwood Yiagazis, who waited nearly two years and submitted six service requests before deciding to handle one basin herself. As reported by NOLA.com, she and Armani Bauman removed the lid, shoveled out mud and garbage, broke apart the blockage and flushed the basin with gallons of water.
The cleanup took about an hour and removed roughly 5 feet of compacted soil and debris from a catch basin on North Rendon Street. Yiagazis said she was fed up with waiting for an answer and is now organizing a volunteer group to help other neighbors deal with similar blockages…