Lafourche officials urge storm prep

Although major damage was limited, Hurricane Isaac posed various threats and headaches to Lafourche Parish residents and government officials.

From home damages and power outages to debris cleanup and inter-agency communications, patience and capability were tested after larger storms in previous years led to amended government plans and protocol. Overall, Lafourche Parish Government feels like Isaac demonstrated the parish has the proper mechanisms in place, said the parish’s chief of emergency operations.

“We worked on our plan to improve communications between the agencies and some things between the shelters were improved a bit,” said Chris Boudreaux, the parish’s director of emergency preparedness and homeland security. “It’s minor details. The general plan, itself, worked well.”

To date, FEMA has recognized $2.3 million in Isaac-related costs to Lafourche, according to parish government figures. Of that amount, the parish is eligible for 75 percent, or $1.7 million, in reimbursement.

As it pertains to residents, the largest practical, permanent change in Lafourche’s emergency plan since last year’s hurricane season is to the re-entry badge allocation system. The three-tiered system prioritizes the order in which evacuees can return, allowing first responders and hospital staffers to return first, followed by essential businesses.

The system’s framework remains in place, but businesses must now reapply for the badges on an annual basis – after Jan. 1 of each year – in order to maintain their standing. Regular turnover among businesses, which changes rosters of who should be granted earlier access, facilitated the change, Boudreaux said.

As always, in advance of hurricane seasons, residents are reminded that levee systems are in place to minimize damage and offer no guarantee of preventing it. As such, the parish has evacuation and shelter plans ready to be enacted during threatening storms.

For out-of-parish evacuees, Lafourche has a shelter agreement with the City of Monroe. Residents will be bussed to Monroe from locations to be announced later.

Residents who already know they will need transportation assistance during an emergency situation are asked to call the Office of Emergency Preparedness at (985) 532-8174. People who register will be contacted directly with information about bus routes and schedules.

Citizens with special needs are also asked to preregister for government assistance, including transportation, during emergency situations.

The parish also has “shelters of last resort”: Lafourche Parish Recreation Center, 241 Recreation Drive; Central Lafourche High School, 4820 La. Highway 1, Mathews; and Thibodaux High School, 1355 Tiger Drive.

“That’s not to say we’re going to open all three, but if we need to, we will,” Boudreaux said. The Larose Civic Center was formerly used as a shelter in south Lafourche, but it is not on the list at the moment. That could change if standing “issues” are resolved, the emergency preparedness director said.

Parish officials request that citizens only go to parish shelters if there is no safer place to occupy and that evacuees phone ahead to make sure the shelter’s occupancy limit is not eclipsed. The EOC phone number is (985) 537-7603.

Those who use shelters are asked to bring five days worth of food and water, medication, personal hygiene items, blankets and cots or air mattress, if possible.

The Lafourche shelters will be closed if conditions are dire.

Obviously, some storm threats do not require mass evacuations. During Hurricane Isaac last year, many residents opted to hunker down in their homes while the storm was passing. Lower category storms, however, can create lasting hazards, increasing the importance of stocking supplies before a threat even enters the Gulf of Mexico.

More than 34,500 Lafourche dwellings were without power the day after Isaac meandered through, and thousands waited five days to have electricity restored. All told, the Category 1 storm caused at least 900,000 power outages throughout the state.

Even these so-called small hurricanes pack enough punch to spread storm debris across roadways, potentially blocking access to and from residential areas until waste contractors clear the pathways and making throughways dangerous for travel.

And people who opt to stay need to be aware of the potential for tornadoes ensconced in hurricane bands and the level of wind their dwellings can withstand compared to the storm that is approaching.

In place of mandatory evacuations, the parish will likely implement a curfew during the storm and after, until roadways are cleared.

“We ask that they stay in place until it’s safe to leave, either the parish, sheriff’s office, state police, whomever, lets them know it is now free and safe to move around,” said Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Capt. Jeremy Granier, the office’s director of Disaster Preparedness and Homeland Security. “When we say safe, we mean the roads are clear of obstruction. … A lot of times, we’ll see when there are trees down across the road, you won’t know it until it’s right in front of you, and by then, it’s too late.”

The sheriff’s office has already delegated responsibilities to its deputies, including team assignments, such chainsaw and sandbagging crews, so they can be efficiently deployed when needed. “For us, it’s automatic,” Granier said of the units that make it possible for power companies to restore electrical grids.

The sheriff’s office is already aware of parish areas that have been more susceptible to flood threats, even days after a storm, such as Ward 6 and the region around the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Bayou Lafourche intersection, Granier said.

Granier also urged residents to begin taking inventory on their storm plans.

“The time is now,” he said. “We’ve already had one named storm in the Gulf. Now is the time to make sure your gas is good in your generator, check your shutters and your boards to block up your house. Make sure they are ready to function now. Knock the wasp nests off.”

Throughout an emergency situation, residents are asked to stay apprised of developments by tuning into local media outlets and monitoring the parish government’s website and social media pages.

The Lafourche Parish emergency operations action plan is posted in full at www.lafourchegov.org/Departments_OEP.aspx.

Norm’s Daiquiris and Grill is pictured after Hurricane Isaac ripped away its front wall. Even the so-called small storms can wreak havoc, so Lafourche officials urge preparation before and caution during a storm threat.

TRI-PARISH TIMES FILE PHOTO