Calcasieu OEP Info 10-2-05

Calcasieu OEP Fact Sheet 10-2
Updated 5:00pm


· Calcasieu Visit, the first phase of the parish re-entry plan continues today. It is a “Look and Leave” period for residents to assess their property and gather needed belongings and return to temporary residences. (Refer to fact sheet issued Thursday).

· Calcasieu Parish officials have issued an executive order requiring all individuals and businesses performing services in the parish to obtain a temporary work permit.

The order, signed by Calcasieu Parish Police Jury President Hal McMillin, acknowledges the need for businesses from out of the area to perform necessary work such as tree and debris removal, roof repairs and other emergency-related services. It requires businesses to provide documentation including certificates of liability insurance and worker’s compensation coverage.

The permits will be available at the Parish Government building at 1015 Pithon St. in Lake Charles between 8am and 5pm weekdays. There is no charge. The temporary permits allow businesses to operate throughout the period of the State of Emergency, which ends October 24th.

Also necessary for issuance of the permits are the company name, address, business telephone number and a copy of the driver’s license of the applicant.

The order is effective immediately. It covers all municipalities within Calcasieu Parish as well as the unincorporated areas.


· Evacuation buses are now running once daily at 5pm from the Northeast corner of the Lake Charles Civic Center.

· Calcasieu Parish has announced Blue Roof program sign-up locations with tarps for temporary roof repair. Call 1-888-ROOFBLU for details. This number is for informational purposes only. You must register in person at one of the sites.

Parish Government Building Time: 9:00am-5:30pm
1015 Pithon Street
Lake Charles, LA 70601

Moss Bluff United Methodist Church Time: 9:00am-5:30pm
735 Sam Houston Jones Parkway
Moss Bluff, LA 70611

Vinton City Hall Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
1200 Horridge Street
Vinton, LA 70664

Fire Station No. 2 Time: 9:00am-5:30pm
3501 Maplewood Dr.
Sulphur, LA 70663

Fire Station No. 3 Time: 9:00am-5:30pm
200 Darbonne
Sulphur, LA 70663

Tarps for temporary repairs are available at all supply distribution sites (Civic Center, Old Wal Mart in Sulphur and Old Wal Mart in Moss Bluff. Vinton Elementary, Iowa High School and Phelps Correctional Center will be added later). These are not the same as the Blue Roof Tarps.

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Program is also providing tarping and tree-removal services at First Baptist Church in Lake Charles at 830 Hodges and at First Baptist Church of Maplewood 4501 Maplewood Drive in Sulphur.

· From Calcasieu Parish Mosquito Control Director Lucas Terracina:

Residents of Calcasieu Parish will continue to be plagued by hordes of mosquitoes produced from the waters of Hurricane Rita. No area of the parish will be immune from this scourge.

These mosquitoes are very aggressive daytime and nighttime biters, and will make cleanup efforts practically unbearable.

Mosquito populations of this magnitude are very common after storm events of this magnitude and will be affecting this area for weeks.

Ground control efforts have been somewhat hampered by the conditions left from the storm. There is a lot of debris on and along the roads making travel at night very difficult and dangerous for the drivers. These conditions continue to improve nightly and will assist in allowing us to cover more territory.

Aerial efforts have been somewhat more successful, as additional assets have been brought in to supplement the parish's two airplanes. Yesterday there were a total of 5 aircraft that treated in areas of Calcasieu Parish, treating close to 200,000 acres. This however is only a drop in the bucket of what needs to be treated.

Weather permitting, aerial and ground units will once again be out in areas of the parish to assist in reducing mosquito numbers. Rain or high winds could be a factor today and tomorrow for effective mosquito control.

These mosquito populations will be with us for a while, as another wave is expected to be on the wing Monday or Tuesday. So it looks as if we will be battling these pesky insects for quite sometime.

The mosquito control office has not had office staff in to take calls due to damage from the Hurricane and staff needed to combat the problem. It is hopeful that we will be up and running very shortly.

We realize that this problem is severe and parish-wide and are working hard to get to everyone as quickly as we can.


· Calcasieu Parish Animal Services has announced that the feeding and watering program started on August 30 will continue through the next two weeks or until power is restored to the majority of the community. Units are in the field seven days a week going door-to-door to ensure that all animals are safe and receiving food and water.

Dog and cat food will also be available at the six food locations located through the parish beginning Monday October 3.

Animal Services will only pick up those animals found as strays in need of veterinary care. For additional information, please contact Animal Services at 439-9979.

· A curfew still remains in effect from dusk till dawn parish-wide.

· The City of Lake Charles has established drop-off locations for household garbage (no storm debris or limbs) at the following locations:

MLK Center -2009 Simmons
Reynaud Middle School –745 Shattuck
TH Watkins Elementary –2501 7th Avenue
Barbe Elementary –Penn St.
LaGrange HS -3420 Louisiana Ave
FK White Middle School –1000 East McNeese
Barbe High School –2200 West McNeese

Sulphur City household garbage drop-off locations:

City Pavilion on Huntington Street
Old Winn Dixie Parking Lot on Beglis

Westlake: Managan Center

In the unincorporated areas of Calcasieu Parish, Waste Management will be placing garbage trucks at the following four locations Monday through Friday


WARD ONE: Ward One Barn at Parish Road

WARD THREE: Burton Coliseum on the south end; Waste Management Transfer Station Highway 90 East

WARD FOUR: Fishermen Headquarters in Carlyss

WARD SIX: Ward Six Fire Station #3 on State Highway 27, south of High Hope Road.


The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is asking residents in parishes where hurricane removal work is in progress, as assigned by FEMA and managed by the Corps of Engineers, to separate items to facilitate efficient removal.

Debris should be placed curbside and separated into the following categories:
1. Metal
2. Vegetative (tree limbs, leaves, etc.)
3. Large appliances like refrigerators, stoves, air conditioners, etc.
4. Construction and demolition debris (carpeting, roofing siding, etc.)



· Residents outside of parish that are currently displaced are encouraged to look to the following websites for information:
-www.kplctv.com
-www.americanpresslc.com
-www.cppj.net (information is limited at this time)


· The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Parish Government Building at 1015 Pithon Street in Lake Charles will be open beginning Monday October 3rd with limited services available. Call 721-3500 for information.
·
· The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has closed all waterways in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes to all vessel traffic other than approved commercial and emergency traffic.


· Calcasieu Parish officials are not set up to accept donations of goods. Local officials say that process will begin at a later time when services are restored. Local charities should handle donations and distribution of goods on their own until further notice.

· Salvation Army’s Canteen Locations today (10/):
Sulphur Victory Worship Center
Iowa: Lawrence Toups Park
Singer: Singer Baptist Church
Starks: Starks Silver Dollar 109 River Rd.
Vinton: Vinton Elementary
Hackberry: Hackberry Community Center
Moss Bluff: Wal-Mart
Westlake: Community Center
Lake Charles: Family Dollar on 171
Martin Luther King Center
Sickle Cell Anemia Center on Opelousas
LeBleu Chevron @ Hwy. 3059
Cameron Recreation Center


· Primary Supply Distribution Sites:
Lake Charles
-Civic Center

Sulphur
-Climatrol Building (old Wal Mart) Cities Service Highway.

Moss Bluff
-Old Wal Mart

Secondary sites

DeQuincy
-Phelps Correctional Center

Vinton
-Vinton elementary
Iowa
-Iowa High School

Residents will be given MREs, water, and ice. We are working this with both military and FEMA sources.

Special emphasis on Food and Water distribution has been placed on Northern Calcasieu Parish, Southern Beauregard Parish and Starks rural areas. Those residents are encouraged to go to Phelps Correctional Center for commodities and are encouraged to car pool and send larger vehicles to get supplies for multiple families.

· Calcasieu Homeland Security/ Office of Emergency Preparedness Director Dick Gremillion is asking residents who are able to acquire food, water and ice on their own to avoid the supply distribution sites. The traffic has the potential to overwhelm the sites. Citizens who came in during the Calcasieu Visit “Look and Leave” program are especially discouraged from receiving the supplies, as they had access to commodities at their temporary locations and should not be here in the parish if they are not self-sufficient. Many local merchants are now providing these services.

· City officials are asking residents of Lake Charles to conserve their water usage. Water and sewer facilities are limited at this time. As previously mentioned, all water should be boiled and treated before consumption.

· A parish-wide burning ban is in effect. This ban includes all municipalities as well as unincorporated areas.

· Black Bayou pontoon bridge is open for vehicle traffic from sunrise to 10am. The remainder of the day the bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic to allow marine traffic only.

· Calcasieu Parish Employees Credit Union has established a number for members to call if they need cash from their accounts. Call 337-540-7766 if you need a check mailed to your temporary location.


Tom Hoefer
Calcasie Parish