Parts of Delcambre and other coastal towns in Vermilion Parish often get hit hard by hurricanes. Bonnie's status thus far has Becky Broussard, the Director of Emergency Preparedness, breathing easy, but she still says residents need to keep a watchful eye.

"If it does typically flood with heavy rains or if you're along the coast or live in a trailer, just monitor the storm and be aware of what's going on," she said.

A Vermilion Parish resident, Jerry Viator, said "Bonnie's just a little tropical storm and if it does develop into a hurricane it will be a category one. It's pretty bad, but it's not bad enough for us to leave."

Many residents are making sure they're prepared for future hurricanes-by lifting up their homes.

Viator's home held up in Hurricane Rita and Ike, but not without damage.

"The water settled out two feet, so we had to come in here and take all the plywood out and clean it up," he said. "And then for Ike we had one foot of water."

Now Viator's house sits quite a bit higher--like many other homes in his neighborhood--all more prepared for hurricanes than in the past.

"I'm not worried. I'll have to leave because they will evacuate the down, but when I come back all my furniture and the house will be alright," he explained.


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