Jindal: Make a game plan now

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was in Houma Monday telling Tri-parish residents to ready themselves for hurricane threats before storms knock at the door. Hurricane season started June 1.

“Start preparing as soon as possible,” he said. “Get water, food and flashlights. Don’t wait until the storm has a name.”

Jindal was joined by officials from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, state police and Tri-parish area government officials to push Louisiana’s “Get a Game Plan” hurricane preparedness campaign.

Representatives from the American Red Cross and the United Way also attended.

The governor urged residents to visit www.GetAGameplan.org for information about how to prepare for storms.

“The devil is in the details,” said Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre. “When evacuating, are you prepared to deal with separation of families? Just jumping in your car to look for a hotel is OK until you realize you can’t come back for two weeks.”

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff-elect Vernon Bourgeois said residents should make sure car batteries are fresh when evacuating and to make accommodations for pets.

Broken-down cars will back up traffic, he said. Also, a muzzle could be needed for dogs because animals behave differently under stress.

“When an event happens, we don’t want to be running around like the Three Stooges,” said Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet.

Officials noted that the elderly may need special provisions. St. Mary Parish President Paul Naquin said he was meeting with 200 elderly parish residents Monday night to urge them to evacuate ahead of storms.

Lafourche President Charlotte Randolph said officials understand that gasoline costs almost $4 a gallon.

“We will only call for an evacuation when there is a danger to the people we care about,” she said.

Jindal emphasized the importance of interoperability, the capacity of law enforcement and emergency preparedness personnel to communicate with one another during emergencies.

He also pointed out that the officials assembled in Houma on Monday knew each other personally.

“We don’t need to exchange cards,” Jindal said.

“Although Louisiana has addressed all these factors, there is no substitute for individual responsibility,” he said. “We can’t forget that.”

Some of the hurricane evacuation items listed on the GetAGameplan Web site are a 3-day supply of water; food that won’t spoil; an extra set of car keys; important family documents; emergency tools, and extra pairs of eyeglasses.

Gov. Bobby Jindal joins law enforcement and government officials in Houma to tout hurricane preparedness. * Photo by KEYON JEFF