PRESIDENT COOPER OFFERS UPDATE ON HURRICANE IDA RECOVERY 9/1/2021
ST. TAMMANY, LA. – St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper provides information on Hurricane Ida recovery efforts.
“With utility companies working diligently, we are beginning to see signs of normalcy return to our Parish,” said President Cooper. “Power is coming back to some businesses and residents throughout St. Tammany, but we still have a long way to go. As we move forward, I ask our citizens to continue to stay positive, and to please be patient as we work to clean up our streets and restore our utilities.”
President Cooper mentioned that though the curfew has ended, St. Tammany Parish Government and restorative utility crews are asking residents to please stay off of the roads. Traffic congestion is hindering the progress of Public Works and utility crews.
Power companies are continuing efforts to replace power lines and clear areas, in order to reinstitute power to homes and businesses.
Washington-St. Tammany Electric has customers on both sides of the Parish, with 31,352 total. Power has been restored to about 20% of their customer base, leaving 25,405 without power.
CLECO, who provides power to more than 95,000 customers in St. Tammany, said 90% of St. Tammany Parish is still without power. Roughly 10,000 customers have had power restored. As of last night, 90% of their workforce was in the Eastern District.
Entergy expects to have power restored to almost all of their 5,000 customers in St. Tammany Parish by the weekend. Due to damages to some homes and other unforeseen issues, a small fraction of their customer base may take longer.
Power is expected to be restored in the coming days, but it could be a few weeks.
Tammany Utilities is still under a Precautionary Boil Water Advisory and asking customers to limit water consumption. The advisory is out of an abundance of caution. Due to Hurricane Ida, results of LDH water testing will likely be delayed. Some private utilities have done the same, including: City of Covington, the Town of Abita Springs, and the Town of Madisonville.
At this time, 16 Tammany Utilities water systems are on generators. The Parish is working to have grid power restored to lift stations.
Coastal Environmental Services (CES) will be picking up trash on their Thursday and Friday route. Cart contents only. No storm debris.
Stranco has front load trucks out in Slidell, Covington and Mandeville to see what areas in their routes are accessible. They are not in Folsom yet.
Debris Contractors will be mobilized once citizens have had the opportunity to put their debris curbside in their neighborhoods. It is still too early to mobilize at this time, as the contractors are aiming to avoid the need to make duplicate trips.
Residents who are putting debris on the curb should follow these directions:
- · Put on the back side of drainage ditches and away from catch basins and mailboxes.
- · Separate by white goods, electronics and green debris.
- · Do not bag green materials.
AT&T has reported 911 is fully operational. In case of an emergency situation now call 911.
St. Tammany Parish Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness has requested points of distribution sites, or PODS, and is awaiting their arrival from Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Operations (GOHSEP). They are expected to be in St. Tammany some time September 2nd.
With some businesses opening up, St. Tammany Parish Government designed a webpage to advertised those businesses as they report to the Parish. That webpage is at STPGOV.org/open as well as a page for relief groups offering donated goods at STPGOV.org/recovery.
If you would like to contribute to relief efforts in St. Tammany Parish, you may do so through either the United Way of Southeast Louisiana at UnitedWaySELA.org/IdaRelief or with the Northshore Community Foundation at NorthshoreFoundation.org.
St. Tammany Parish Government offices are scheduled to reopen Tuesday, September 7, 2021, with regular business hours.
The St. Tammany Parish Council meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 2, 2021, has been canceled.
For those affected by the storm they may apply for FEMA assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362. Damage may also be reported to the State at damage.la.gov. To report your damage to St. Tammany Parish email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Those who received damage should also make sure to contact their insurance companies to file a claim as well.
For any other needs call the St. Tammany Parish Emergency Operations Hotline at (985)-898-2323.
Stay tuned to St. Tammany Parish Government social media channels and STPGOV.org for further updates.