With the cost of disaster relief expected to soar into the tens of millions, the mayor of Walker, Louisiana said Tuesday that the flooding in his town was “man-made” and said he plans to file suit against both the state and federal governments.

Mayor Rick Ramsey said a cement barrier recently built along Interstate 12 created a situation that kept rising water from draining from his town.

Ramsey says he has video evidence that water from the Amite River was held in by the six-foot high barrier and the trapped water then backed up into Walker.

Ramsay, who says he expects insurance companies across the state to join him in his suit, also says he’s been warning the state and federal governments about the potential danger for more than three years.