E-Mail
Print
St. Charles Parish is experiencing wind gusts of over 45 mph as the outer bands of now-Hurricane Isaac train over the area.
Officials are urging residents to HUNKER DOWN AT HOME over the next 24 to 36 hours as the parish could experience winds of up to 80 mph sustained with higher gusts and rainfall amounts of up to 20 inches depending on the storm's eventual track, speed and timing of squall lines. Vehicular travel on the roadways should remain dangerous until at least Thursday morning.
The parish expects to experience widespread and sustained power outages, as well as downed trees and power lines. There will be a threat of flooding from storm surge as well as rainfall, with the Montz are being most vulnerable. All parish pump stations are operational, however, the combination of high tidal levels and heavy rainfall can cause flooding conditions very quickly.
Please note that emergency medical, fire and police services will have very limited abilities to respond to calls for service once wind speeds reach 45 mph due to safety concerns for first responders. Residents should also be prepared for the possible interruption of water and sewerage services.
Please secure any garbage cans, roadside debris or construction debris as they can and will become projectiles in high winds. Please remind your neighbors.
CURFEW INFORMATION FROM THE ST. CHARLES SHERIFF'S OFFICE:
At dusk tonight (Aug. 28) a curfew will be in effect. We are expecting widespread, if not total, power outages, and the parish will be dark. In order to protect property it is imperative that you REMAIN HOME. Anyone found wandering the streets for no apparent reason is subject to being DETAINED, QUESTIONED and possibly ARRESTED. We understand and recognize that some people may be on a legitimate mission to aid themselves or others or to report to work.
RE-ENTRY INFORMATION:
St. Charles Parish will allow re-entry immediately after the storm. However, if a certain area is heavily damaged by flood or wind damage making it unsafe to enter, those areas could be restricted for safety reasons. As a general policy, the parish will make every effort to allow residents to access their own private property. Please check the parish website for parish status reports.
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS:
Residents can report downed power lines, downed trees, power outages, high water and other damage to EOC by calling (985) 783-5050, e-mailing publicinfo@stcharlesgov.net or logging on to the parish's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/stcharlesgov) or Emergency Blog (stcharlesgov.blogspot.com). The Public Information Office will be maintaining a list of such information for residents to use as a resource.
PLEASE NOTE:
- The St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office has instituted a curfew from 8 p.m. Aug. 28 until 6 a.m. Aug. 29.
- St. Charles Parish remains under a mandatory evacuation.
- Because of announced road closures on Highway 90 at the Davis Diversion in Luling and Airline Highway at the St. Charles / Jefferson Parish line, residents may need to use alternate routes until further notice. For up-to-date road closure information, visit http://lsp.org/roadclosure.html.
- If traveling through flooded areas, please drive slowly. It is ILLEGAL to create wakes that could potentially push water into homes and/or businesses.
- Schools in St. Charles Parish are closed today, Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Parish offices will be closed today, Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Businesses may report damage to St. Charles Parish Economic Development and Tourism Director Corey Faucheux at cfaucheux@stcharlesgov.net.
- Please call 1-800-ENTERGY for information on power outages.
Any questions may be directed to the St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center at (985) 783-5050 24 hours a day.
Please stay tuned to local media, Cox Cable Channel 6 in St. Charles Parish, www.stcharlesparish-la.gov, 1-888-SCP-9EOC or 1370 AM in St. Charles Parish for further announcements. The parish's social media sites will be updated continuously at www.facebook.com/stcharlesgov and www.twitter.com/stcharlesgov. To sign up for emergency text messages and e-mails, visit www.stcharlesparish-la.gov and click on 'Emergency Alert System' on the left side of the page as well as 'E-Newsletters' at the top of the page.
The mission of St. Charles Parish government is to provide high quality, efficient services to sustain and enhance the quality of life for all residents of St. Charles Parish.