Louisiana Governor Jindal Update On State Response Efforts For Hurricane Ike

Main Category: Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 14 Sep 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Today, Governor Bobby Jindal gave an update on state response efforts surrounding the impact of Hurricane Ike in Southwest Louisiana.

Governor Jindal said that the state is focused on saving lives and helping to rescue people from high water. He said that preliminary reports estimate that more than 200 people have already been rescued during Hurricane Ike (including before and after the storm).

Governor Jindal said, "Our focus right now is on saving lives. Our search and rescue teams have been pulling people from the water from late last night and into the early hours of this morning. In addition to rescuing those people who need our help, we have teams conducting coordinated surveillance missions all along the coast, in order to look for any people who may be in danger but are not able to call for help. The safety of our people is our critical mission right now."

NATIONAL GUARD/WILDLIFE/POLICE OPERTATIONS

((PLEASE NOTE - some of these details were from preliminary reports on the ground before the Governor's briefing at 11 AM.))

Calcasieu Parish

The National Guard has 545 guardsmen and 69 high water rescue vehicles in the parish. The Guard conducted a high water rescue mission of around 6 families at 1011 Eighteenth St. There are 18 generators on their way to Lake Charles/Calcasieu Parish.

Cameron Parish

There are 40 guardsmen in the parish and boats are being sent to Hackberry for search and rescue operations.Two bridge boats are also moving into the Hackberry area.

Iberia Parish

There are reports of water to the bridges at Lydia and Port of Iberia and around 81 people are currently sheltered at Iberia Middle School (they are expecting 200-300).

Jefferson Parish

There are l,139 guardsmen and 58 high water rescue vehicles in the parish.Lafitte is reporting that a temporary aqua-tube levee protecting the town has failed. Pumps have been requested to assist in draining the water and gauges show water levels falling at this time. Lower points on levees and interim protections in the town are being overtopped. Sandbagging operations are underway.

Lafourche Parish

There are 229 guardsmen in the parish and around 50 guardsmen will be dispatched to sandbag the Industrial Canal. Three 5-ton trucks are being sent to a Larose truck stop to prepare to handle the W. 2nd Street Floodgates at the sheriff's request.

There are reports of a levee overtopping in Larose, which is now under control. Ten five-ton trucks will be sent south of Houma at Hwy 315 in Dularge, to help with an expected 15 to 20 miles of impassable roads.

Orleans Parish

There are 669 guardsmen and 26 high water rescue vehicles in the parish. An Engineer Assessment Team has been dispatched to inspect various hot spots in the levee system.

Plaquemines Parish

There are 220 guardsmen and eight high water rescue vehicles in the parish.

St. Mary Parish

There are 40 guardsmen and a high water rescue vehicle in the parish. High water rescue vehicles are en route to rescue people in the Pecan acres subdivision. The Franklin Canal Levee in Franklin reported having a break and several were rescued. Others were evacuated from the Franklin Nursing Home.

St. Tammany Parish

There are 130 guardsmen in the parish. Reports indicate that some areas in Slidell are flooded with road closures including US90, US11, Oak Harbour subdivision, South I-10 433 Old Spanish Trail, Madisonville, Mandeville (by the lakefront), and Ponchatoula (around I-55 and I-22). There is also water over Woodlawn Ranch Road and water approaching Chabert.

Terrebonne Parish

There are 150 guardsmen and one high water rescue vehicle in the parish. The Houma Police Department is working to evacuate residents from flooded areas caused by the south wind pushing storm surges. Half of the Houma Airport is reportedly under water and inaccessible to fixed wing aircrafts. There is a shelter open at Evergreen Jr. High School for those whose homes are flooded.

Vermilion Parish

There are 150 guardsmen and 19 high water rescue vehicles in the parish.Preliminary reports indicate that floodwaters are rising fast in lower Vermilion Parish and threatening increased flooding in Erath and Delcambre.

Hwy 675 just North of Hwy 14 is impassable from approximately 50 meters north of LA-14. Hwy 14 has become impassable at the Delcambre Canal Bridge and it is nearly impassable just west of Delcambre at LA-89. Lower Erath is beginning to experience some flooding and it appears that the Erath High School Campus is beginning to flood. The high school gym has taken some water. There has been a preliminary report of diesel seeping from tanks at Chevron due to flood in Delcambre.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

Governor Jindal said that there have been 49 rescues in Thibodaux, according to preliminary reports, 11 in St. Bernard Parish, 18 in Plaquemines Parish, 73 in Jefferson Parish, and 22 in St. Tammany Parish. The Governor said that the first search and rescue mission was launched today at 5:30 AM into Delcambre, around 8:45 AM into Hackberry, and that other missions were likely ongoing during his update. The Governor cautioned that the information on search and rescue missions was preliminary at the time of his briefing because the men and women in the field were focused on saving lives and were not stopping to report in total numbers.

Wildlife and Fisheries did report that they had calls for help coming from Big Lake Island and Hackberry, which they were responding to with 29 boats. The total state personnel available for missions is around 623, in additional to 334 watercrafts. Additional federal resources include Urban Search and Rescue Support (USAR) providing another 400 personnel and equipment. Those assets have been made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Dept. of the Interior and U.S. Border Patrol.

COMMODITIES

Commodities have been set up in Chennault and PODs will be open as local governments are set up and able to receive supplies. Supplies for Southwest Louisiana include: 359,000 meals, 612,000 bottles of water, 520,000 pounds of ice, 25,000 tarps for Lake Charles and another 109,000 tarps in the state. Total commodities available in the state include: 2.9 million meals, 4.7 million bottles of water, and 3.6 million pounds of ice.

There is currently no power in Cameron Parish. Preliminary reports indicate that 40 percent of Calcasieu Parish is without power. (Information on power still being updated.)

HEALTH CARE

Governor Jindal reported that six nursing homes in Calcasieu were running on generators, and the state is working to get HVAC generators through the Corps, which the Corps says will be available within two days. The two largest hospitals in Lake Charles do have power.

One hundred and six people were evacuated from the Franklin Nursing Home to Franklin Hospital. DHH is working to assess every nursing home in the impacted area within 24 hours.

A US Air Force plane in coming in to spray for mosquitoes in coastal areas, as part of disease prevention methods related to high floodwaters.

((More timely updates included in the Governor's briefing on levees is being released through the Governor's Office of Coastal Activities.))

http://www.gov.state.la.us