Beauregard Parish: Get out or 'hunker down'

DERIDDER — A voluntary evacuation of those living in Beauregard Parish’s lower lying areas and mobile homes is under way.
“All I can say is that we need to get people sheltered and hunker down,” said Glen Mears Sr., director of the Beauregard Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (OHSEP) during a briefing this morning.
Hurricane-force winds — 74-100 mph, with wind gusts in excess of 100 mph — are expected to blow through Beauregard and Vernon parishes starting Friday night, according to emergency preparedness officials.
“Once the winds hit 59 mph, we will pull back our resources because it will be too dangerous for them to be on the road,” Mears said. “We can’t risk sending out an ambulance, fire truck or patrol car, or even a bus, once the storm comes in.”
Shawn Martin
Beauregard News Bureau Chief