Mobile pumping system deployed at Carondelet Street and Lakeshore Drive
Appears to have sped up receding waters, but official cautions more data needed
FLASH: June 19, 2021, at 6:27 AM
UPDATE: June 19, 2021, at 11:48 AM — Mayor Clay Madden releases statement.
UPDATE: June 19, 2021, at 5:48 PM — Most of Lakeshore reopens after pump deployed.
UPDATE: June 20, 2021, at 9:18 AM — Wrap-up after Lakeshore Drive fully open.
UPDATE: June 22, 2021, at 8:00 AM — Adds comment from Public Works Director.
MANDEVILLE — Lakeshore Drive is open again after a mobile pumping system was deployed at the western end near Carondelet Street in an effort to speed up the receding waters Saturday (June 19, 2021).
This would mark the first time such a measure was tried, according to available information. Officials have removed most of the barricades that had been put in place overnight Friday when the flooding started.
Public Works Director Keith Lagrange Jr. told the Mandeville Daily it is difficult to determine if the pump helped or to what degree. A number of factors affect how fast flood waters recede from Lakeshore Drive, including the severity of the weather system, how fast it moves through the area and at what angle the winds and surge travel. He said more data is needed and he plans to try the pumping system again during future weather events.
Mayor Clay Madden had earlier asked the public to stay off Lakeshore Drive while it was under water Saturday (June 19, 2021) as City of Mandeville Public Works Department workers assessed “pumping capabilities.”
The City of Mandeville had erected barricades overnight to close off Lakeshore Drive to outside traffic and potential sightseers as waters begin to rise with Tropical Storm Claudette passing through the area today.
A familiar sight to residents of Old Mandeville, the barricades are intended to prevent sightseers from potentially stalling their vehicles or pushing standing water into homes along Lakeshore Drive.
Tropical Storm Claudette, which only received its official status overnight, isn’t expected to be a significant or lasting event for Mandeville, according to published reports, with most of the rain predicted to extend into Mississippi and Florida.
Lakeshore Drive is typically closed in these situations as long as there is standing water that could affect motorists, nearby homes or businesses.
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PRESS RELEASE (Mayor Clay Madden – June 19, 2021, at 11:40 AM):
Lakeshore Drive is currently under water. Please stay out of the area unless you live there. Our Public Works Department is currently assessing pumping capabilities. More to come soon.
Mandeville Daily 
It definitely made a difference. Three weeks ago we were flooded for 5 days. This time it the water was all gone in less than 24 hours. Thank you to the Mayor and the Public Works Director for trying something that the previous administration refused to try.
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