We realize that many of you are still searching for the most updated, post-disaster information from your parishes or counties, and we want to help.

With Tropical Storm Hanna and Hurricane Ike, we’re operating more blogs to help the communities in the storms’ tracks.  We have to sign off on the Hurricane Gustav blog for now, but, we can direct you folks to the right places for your needed information:

• For Louisiana citizens, the state of Louisiana is routinely updating this site with press releases:  http://emergency.louisiana.gov/ You can find information on school closures, FEMA help, food stamps, POD’s, and other important post-disaster resources there.
• For Mississippi citizens, the state of Mississippi is routinely updating its Mississippi Emergency Management site with post-disaster information.
• Local media, such as radio and television outlets, typically provides updated local information.
• Visit your local emergency management/government web site for recovery effort and community information.  You can find a list of Louisiana emergency management sites here:  http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/linkpages/parishpa.htm
• For free hurricane preparedness resources, including articles on how to clean up after flooding, how to clean out refrigerators and freezers after a power outage, and how to cope with disaster, please visit us at OneStorm.
• If you still cannot find the information you need, you can e-mail me at Heidi@onestorm.org  and I will answer you as quickly as possible.

Thank you for the wonderful feedback we’ve received from the affected counties and parishes.  It has truly been a pleasure to bring information to the communities that need it most.

Sincerely,

Heidi and Chris

***DISTRIBUTION POINTS BEGIN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

**Red Cross Centers:

Westbank Community Center, 173 East 3rd St in Edgard (meals, ice, water)

This center will be open sometime in the afternoon. Please stay tuned to the news for the times as they are made available.

Eastbank: Regala Park, 194 Regala Park Rd. in Reserve (meals and water)

This center will be open sometime in the afternoon. Please stay tuned to the news for the times as they are made available.

**Winn Dixie (tomorrow only) ICE will be given. 10 AM. Resident must bring a container.

**State POD: Frank’s Supermarket, 1709 W. Airline Hwy in LaPlace. (Meals, Ice, Water)

This center will be open daily from 7 AM to 6 PM.

SERVICES ARE FEW: Power is out in 90% of the parish. Sewerage service is unreliable until power is restored.

HOSPITAL IS OPEN for EMERGENCIES ONLY. Elective services will begin next week at some point.

***FEW STORES and BUSINESSES are open. (Also see: Open Businesses)

CURFEW is still in place from 8 pm to 6 am. **Alcohol Ban is in effect.

Be prepared to be ON YOUR OWN for several days.  Those who can stay away for another day or two should.

ROADS: Most parish interior roads are open. I-55 exit is closed at times as water from Lake Pontchartrain moves in and out. Traffic delays at the intersection of I-10 and I-55 heading into the metro area. St. John residents are urged to use Airline Hwy to come into the parish.

GARBAGE COLLECTION: has resumed its regular schedule

SCHOOLS: All schools in St. John Parish will be closed this week.

POWER: Entergy Outage Information – 17,798 customers are without electricity on the East and West Bank. Parish officials are working with Entergy to reestablish services. Power will be restored to medical facilities within the next day or two. Parish officials have been told that restoring power to the entire parish may take weeks.  Upon return residents are asked to call 1-800-9-OUTAGE to report power outages.

WATER: Water is safe to drink parish wide.

SEWERAGE: Sewerage service is limited throughout St. John due to the lack of Power. Crews are working at returning these services to full capacity. PARISH OFFICIALS ASK THAT RESIDENTS minimIze use of their sewerage (take short showers, avoid washing dishes, and avoid using unnecessary water). President Hubbard ordered tanker pump trucks to pump down sewer lift stations to help alleviate the problem. Utilities / Public Work Crews are working around the clock to manage the problem.

DEBRIS: Please begin cleaning your property upon your return. Place all debris on the curb of your property.  Crews will be picking this debris over the next week or two. ***ST. JOHN DISASTER RECOVERY TEAMS are picking up debris parish wide.

PLEASE DO NOT PLACE DEBRIS IN THE DRAINAGE DITCHES AND CANALS. *Debris Management Crews are beginning the debris clean-up effort in full force. Crews will be working from 7am -7pm..residents are asked to begin cleaning their property and place their green debris in one pile at the edge of the road.

CLOSED: Animal Shelter, Post Office, Schools, Libraries

*COURTHOUSE: All Criminal and Civil Courts are closed for the rest of the week.  Criminal court that was set for LaPlace in Division A, on Monday, September 8, 2008 is reset to October 13, 2008 for the same time at the same place.

STREAMING LOCAL BROADCAST: maroonspoon.com/wx/gustav.html

Source:  “Hurricane Information- Re-Entry Information/Precautions.”  St. John the Baptist Parish Government.  5 September 2008, 5:30 AM.

Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, Terrebonne, Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, St. James, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany

All state employees who work in a state facility located in parishes not listed above should report to work, unless they are instructed by their supervisors to either not report to work or to vacate their work sites due to unforeseen electrical outages or damages.

All essential personnel, as well as employees that are required to work due to Hurricane Gustav, should report to work as directed by their supervisors.

All agency heads are responsible for determining those personnel who should remain on duty.
State employees should monitor media regarding office closures as well as announcements of when offices are scheduled to reopen. Those announcements will be made by the Commissioner of Administration. In addition, employees should be aware of the 800 number and the local phone number, which will be updated with information regarding office closures. The numbers to call: 1-800-360-9660 or 225-342-0498.
For the latest information on Hurricane Gustav, visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state’s emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-date information.

Source:  “Press Release:  State Government Office Parish Closures by Parish for Friday.”  State of Louisiana. 4 September 2008.

Centers in heavily affected areas will reopen as soon as electricity and Internet service are restored.
Mobile units, including four from Texas, are being sent to high-volume areas throughout south Louisiana to assist citizens with job needs. The first of these units will be in Baton Rouge on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Business and Career Solutions Center on Wooddale Boulevard. A schedule of additional locations will be issued on Monday, Sept. 8.
For the latest information on Hurricane Gustav, visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state’s emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-date information.

Source:  “Press Release:  Louisiana Workforce Announces Business and Career Center Openings, Extended Hours.”  State of Louisiana.  4 September 2008.

SERVICES ARE FEW: Power is out in 90% of the parish. Sewerage service is unreliable until power is restored.

HOSPITAL IS OPEN for EMERGENCIES ONLY. Elective services will begin next week at some point.

CURFEW is still in place from 8 pm to 6 am. **Alcohol Ban is in effect.

Be prepared to be ON YOUR OWN for several days.  Those who can stay away for another day or two should.

ROADS: Most parish interior roads are open. I-55 exit is closed at times as water from Lake Pontchartrain moves in and out. Traffic delays at the intersection of I-10 and I-55 heading into the metro area. St. John residents are urged to use Airline Hwy to come into the parish.

GARBAGE COLLECTION has resumed its regular schedule.

SCHOOLS: All schools in St. John Parish will be closed this week.

POWER: Entergy Outage Information – 17,798 customers are without electricity on the East and West Bank. Parish officials are working with Entergy to reestablish services. Power will be restored to medical facilities within the next day or two. Parish officials have been told that restoring power to the entire parish may take weeks.  Upon return residents are asked to call 1-800-9-OUTAGE to report power outages.

WATER: Water is safe to drink parish wide.

SEWERAGE: Sewerage service is limited throughout St. John due to the lack of Power. Crews are working at returning these services to full capacity. PARISH OFFICIALS ASK THAT RESIDENTS minimIze use of their sewerage (take short showers, avoid washing dishes, and avoid using unnecessary water). President Hubbard ordered tanker pump trucks to pump down sewer lift stations to help alleviate the problem. Utilities / Public Work Crews are working around the clock to manage the problem.

DEBRIS: Please begin cleaning your property upon your return. Place all debris on the curb of your property.  Crews will be picking this debris over the next week or two. ***ST. JOHN DISASTER RECOVERY TEAMS are picking up debris parish wide.

PLEASE DO NOT PLACE DEBRIS IN THE DRAINAGE DITCHES AND CANALS. *Debris Management Crews are beginning the debris clean-up effort in full force. Crews will be working from 7am -7pm..residents are asked to begin cleaning their property and place their green debris in one pile at the edge of the road.

CLOSED: Animal Shelter, Post Office, Schools, Libraries

*COURTHOUSE: All Criminal and Civil Courts are closed for the rest of the week.  Criminal court that was set for LaPlace in Division A, on Monday, September 8, 2008 is reset to October 13, 2008 for the same time at the same place.

STREAMING LOCAL BROADCAST: maroonspoon.com/wx/gustav.html

OPEN BUSINESSES IN ST. JOHN
As of Thursday, September 4, 2008 @ 8:00pm

Pharmacies
Medicine Shoppe
Winn Dixie  Pharmacy
Walgreens

Grocery Stores
EastBank
Winn Dixie
Matherne’s
Cox’s Meat Market
BRS Seafood
WestBank
Boobie’s
Perret’s

Hardware/General Merchandise
Home Depot

Gas Stations
Eastbank:

Pilot, Hwy 51
Shell Truck Stop (north I-10 on Hwy 51)
Shell, Belle Terre
Shell, Airline @ Riverlands Subdivision
Spur Station @ Belle Point South
Service Station @ Cambridge Open
Jean Baptiste Service Station

Westbank:

Haston’s Phillip’s 66
Restaurant’s
LaCaretta’s
Frisco Deli
China House Buffet on Hwy 51
Italian Pie

Banks/Credit Unions
LA Federal Credit Union
Hotels/Motels
Quality Inn
Days Inn
Hampton Inn
Best Western

Clinics
Methadone Clinic

Please email us at info@sjbparish.com or call 985-652-9569 with store opening not listed.

Source:   “News Release:  Re-Entry Information/Precautions.”  St. John Parish Government.  4 September 2008, 8:00 PM.

• Power – Entergy crews are still working hard in the parish to restore power to residents.  The Braithwaite area should be up in a day or two.  A customer information center at the St. Rosalie office located at 16197 Highway 23 in Belle Chasse will open Saturday from 8am-5pm and remain in operation as long as necessary.
• Breach Update – 6 Chinooks are working to drop bags into the breach.  The flooded area on the highway side of the breach will begin to be pumped out.  About 400 bags were dropped today.  Once the breach is filled, clay and rock will be placed on top to reinforce the levee so equipment can move in on top of the levee to repair the hole more permanently.
• Water – Samples are still being taken on the eastbank.  The boil water is in effect for the eastbank until further notice.
• Debris – Debris hauling is continuing throughout the parish and will soon be completed in the Belle Chasse area.
• Curfew – The curfew is now lifted for the entire parish.
• Empire Locks are now manned.

Source:  “Press Release:  Plaquemines Parish Gustav Update.”  Plaquemines Parish Emergency Management.   4 September 2008, 7:15 PM.

The joint teams are assessing the damage in Washington, Wilkinson, Harrison and Hancock counties to see if they meet the federal threshold for disaster aid to individuals and households.

The joint teams are also assessing damage in these 16 counties — Adams, Amite, Copiah, Forrest, Franklin, George, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jones, Lincoln, Marion, Pearl River, Stone, Warren and Wilkinson counties — to see if they qualify for federal public assistance.

Hurricane Gustav caused damage from high winds, tornadoes, torrential rainfall and inland flooding. The state received high winds and heavy rains along the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast and up to Brookhaven.

If approved, Public Assistance would provide aid to public and certain private, non-profit entities for certain emergency services and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged public facilities.

FEMA assesses a number of factors to determine the severity, magnitude and impact of a disaster event.  Preliminary damage assessments are used to estimate the extent of the disaster and its impact on individuals and public facilities.

OTHER GUSTAV UPDATES:
The following updates are related to the impacts of Hurricane Gustav in Mississippi:

Power outages:
•         Power is expected to be restored by Saturday morning to most costumers.
•         27,382 outages reported statewide this morning.
•         Entergy reports having 9,123power outages.
•         Electric Power Associations of Mississippi report having 18,259 power outages.

Shelters:
•         As of 4 p.m. 8,160 evacuees were still listed in 76 registered shelters in Mississippi.

Schools:
•         Amite County will be closed Friday for students, but faculty is scheduled to report to work.

Current damage reports:
•         As of 2 p.m. today, MEMA has received statewide reports of 17 destroyed homes, 37 homes with major damage, 666 homes with minor damage; 21 mobile homes destroyed; eight mobile homes with major damage and 620 with minor damage. One business is reported destroyed, 13 with major damage and 36 with minor damage.
•         45 counties have local emergency proclamations.
•         46 cities have local emergency proclamations.
•         The University of Southern Mississippi has a local emergency proclamation.
•         The Mississippi Band of Choctaws has a local emergency proclamation.
•         Washington County: 140 structures with minor damage; major flooding in Greenville and county.
•         Amite County: has 100 displaced people in addition to the damaged homes, buildings and mobile homes already reported. 195 homes with minor damage and 257 mobile homes with minor damage. Two homes in Amite have been destroyed and three have sustained major damage. Two mobile homes have been destroyed and seven have sustained major damage. Six businesses have minor damage. Eighteen public roads have minor damage and six public roads have major damage.
•         City of Liberty in Amite County: has 40 displaced people.
•         Copiah County: impacted by an F1 tornado in the southeastern part of the county.
•         Issaquena County: 17 people displaced.
•         Warren County: 515 people are displaced.
•         Lincoln County: four mobile homes destroyed; six homes with major damage; 14 homes with minor damage; 2 businesses with minor damage; 43 public roads with minor damage and 30 roads with major damage; 2 publicly owned buildings with minor damage; 1 nonprofit utility with minor damage; 1 injury/ 1 hospitalized; still clearing debris from roads but most are passable at this time; no state resources are required at this time;
•         Harrison County has reported four homes destroyed seven homes with major damage and 345 homes with minor damage. The county has also reported nine mobile homes destroyed and 328 mobile homes with minor damage. Eleven businesses in Harrison have reported minor damage. Twenty-two public buildings have major damage in Harrison.
•         Pike County reports 18 homes with major damage and 36 with minor damage.

MEMA will update this information as it becomes available.
Source:  “News Release:  Preliminary Damage Assesments for Gustav.”  MEMA.  4 September 2008, 5:00 PM.

Or, for a list of drinking water systems that have water that is safe to drink, click here.

If you live in an area under boil advisory or you have lost water pressure at your tap or if the water pressure is extremely low State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry, MD, recommends that homeowners disinfect their water by any one of the following methods prior to consumption (including drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or preparing food):

* Boil water for one full minute in a clean container. The one minute boil time begins after the water has been brought to a rolling boil. (The flat taste can be eliminated by shaking the water in a bottle or pouring it from one container to another.)

* If the water is clear, mix 1/8 teaspoon of unscented, liquid chlorine laundry bleach with one gallon of water and let it stand for at least 30 minutes prior to consumption. If the water is cloudy or colored, use 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water. Be sure to mix thoroughly. If the treated water has too strong a chlorine taste, it can be made more palatable by allowing the water to stand exposed to the air for a few hours or by pouring it from one clean container to another several times.

Boiling is the most effective method of disinfection of water, particularly for people who are severely immunocompromised (infected with HIV/AIDS, cancer and transplant patients taking immunosuppressive drugs, or people born with a weakened immune system) and for infants and elderly who wish to take extra precautions.

People obtaining water from a public water system (a system providing water to 15 homes and businesses or more) must continue to disinfect their drinking water by one of the above listed methods until a public notice is issued by the Department of Health and Hospitals that the water has been tested and is safe to drink. It may take as long as two or three weeks before a water system is declared safe.

People who have been affected by loss of water service may expect some irregularities with their water while efforts are being made to ensure that the water is safe. It is expected that water may have an unusual chlorine odor as well as possible sediments appearing in the water while these special precautions are taking place.  Flushing household taps for a few minutes should fix this problem.

Contact:  OPH Safe Drinking Water Program, 225-342-7499.

Source:  “Press Release:  Update on Water Systems Under Boil Advisory.”  State of Louisiana.  4 September 2008.

Lafourche Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness has announced the opening of three distribution sites for parish residents. Those sites are as follows:
Thibodaux High School football stadium parking lot (on Tiger Drive in Thibodaux)
Raceland Recreation Center (241 Recreation Drive in Raceland)
Galliano Wal-Mart (on Hwy 3235 in Galliano)

As of noon, the Thibodaux High School site had ice ONLY. The Raceland Recreation Center has M.R.E.’s, Ice and blue tarps. The Galliano Wal-Mart had ice ONLY, but blue tarps would be arriving shortly.

Source:  “Press Release:  Parish Sets Up 3 Distribution Sites in Lafourche.”  Lafourche Parish Government Office of Emergency Preparedness.  4 September 2008,  12:10 PM.