PRESIDENT COOPER, ELECTED OFFICIALS GIVE UPDATE ON HURRICANE IDA RECOVERY 9-2-2021
ST. TAMMANY, LA. – St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper provides the latest information on Hurricane Ida recovery efforts.
“We have boots on the ground throughout St. Tammany Parish, working tirelessly to provide food, water and supplies to our citizens,” said President Cooper. “With power coming back to many in the Parish, we are happy to see so many use their good fortune to help out their neighbors in need. We have received assistance from the National Guard, and they have activated the first point of distribution site in the Parish, and we are awaiting further assistance from them in the near future. We are on our way back to normalcy, but it is still going to take some time.”
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 (WSTE) has a total of 22,332 customers without power as of Thursday afternoon. After Hurricane Ida, 98.4% of the entire system was without power. To report downed trees and power lines to WSTE, please call 1-866-672-9773.
CLECO, who provides power to more than 95,000 customers in St. Tammany, has around 70% of their customers without power. Roughly 30,000 customers have had their power restored.
Entergy has nearly 5,000 customers in St. Tammany Parish with roughly 3,600 still without power. They expect to have nearly all of their customers restored in the coming days.
St. Tammany Parish has received their first points of distribution site, or PODS, from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP). The National Guard is facilitating the distribution of MREs, water and ice out of the PODS located at the First Baptist Church of Covington. Two MREs, six bottles of water and one bag of ice is given for every person in the vehicle.
The PODS will remain open until recovery efforts are no longer needed. The hours of operation are daily from 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. with the exception of Sundays, when the hours will be Noon – 6:00 p.m. More locations for resources are scheduled to be received in the days to come.
Debris contractors will be mobilized mid to late next week. Currently, push contractors are working to push debris off and away from the roads, with expectations of being finished by this week.
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.
Cooper signed an executive order, putting a burn ban in place, due to air quality and fire response concerns.
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.
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.
St. Tammany Parish Public Schools will not reopen until September 13th at the earliest.
St. Tammany Parish Government offices are scheduled to reopen Tuesday, September 7, 2021, with regular business hours.
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 those needing blue tarps visit BlueRoof.us. Blue tarps are also available around the parish at various local fire departments.
For any other needs call the St. Tammany Parish Emergency Operations Hotline at (985)-898-2323.
St. Tammany Parish President Cooper was joined by U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith, Louisiana State Representative 77 Mark Wright, Louisiana State Representative Larry Frieman, St. Tammany Parish Council Chairman Mike Lorino, St. Tammany Parish Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Clarence Powe and WSTE Media Relations, Manager of Marketing, Washington and Tangipahoa Parish Coylean Schloegel to provide Hurricane Ida relief updates.
Stay tuned to St. Tammany Parish Government social media channels and STPGOV.org for further updates.