[StBernard] UPDATE: TASK FORCE PELICAN

[Westley Annis]

UPDATE: TASK FORCE PELICAN

Tuesday - September 27, 2005

-- 12 Noon-- 

Overview

 

·        This is Day 28 since Hurricane Katrina made landfall and Day 3
since Hurricane Rita made landfall.  

 

·        Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco surveyed the damage caused by
Hurricane Rita on an aerial fly-over yesterday.

o       Governor Blanco urged residents of South Louisiana to follow the
instructions of their local city and parish officials before returning home.

 

Shelter Populations 
Source: FEMA & Department of Social Services

 

There are approximately 30,000 Louisiana citizens in out-of -state shelters
throughout the US.  
 

There are approximately 47,400 Louisiana citizens in in-shelters throughout
Louisiana. 
*These numbers are in constant flux as citizens displaced due to Rita and
Katrina attempt to return to their homes. 

 

Hospitals 
Source: Louisiana Hospital Association

     

All hospitals are operational, except some hospitals in mandatory evacuation
areas.

 

Throughout the various stages of recovery, primary emergency room services
are being provided by the following hospitals affected regions: 
 

Lake Charles Area

West Calcasieu- Cameron Hospital

CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital of Lake Charles

 

Greater New Orleans Area

East Jefferson General Hospital

West Jefferson Medical Center

Ochsner Clinic Foundation

Kenner Regional Medical Center

akeside Memorial Hospital

Temporary Field house Hospital at the Convention Center

 

Lafayette Area

ALL emergency care services in the Lafayette area are operational.  

 

 

Roads, Ports & Airports 
Source: Louisiana Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness

 

New Orleans International Airport is open to cargo flights and limited
passenger flights. 
 

The Port of Orleans is partially operational. 
 

Main Road Closures: 
·        US 90 at Pearl Bridge

·        LA 23 Belle Southbound in Plaquemines Parish

·        LA 433 at Bayou Liberty Bridge

 

o       Bridge Closures:

·        I-10 Twin Span 

·        Belle Chasse Tunnel

·        Causeway Bridge ( except for emergency vehicles)

 

Power & Communication Utilities 
Source: Louisiana Public Service Commission

 

Local, state and federal agencies are working with utility providers to
restore power and communications.  
As of 10:00 am today, approximately:   
§         501,000 Louisianianas are without power

 

·        285,000 outages are Rita-related

 

·        216,000 outages are Katrina-related

 

§         350,000 Louisianians are without telephone service

§         24,000 Louisianians are without natural gas utilities

 

Oil & Gas Infrastructure 
Source: Louisiana Department of Natural Resources

 

To date, 6 of 12 major refineries in south Louisiana are operating at near
capacity. 
These refineries include: Exxon Mobil (Baton Rouge), Placid Refining Company
(Port Allen), Motiva (Convent), Motiva (Norco), Marathon Ashland Petroleum
(Garyville), Valero (Norco) 
 

To date, 6 of 12 major refineries in south Louisiana are currently
shut-down. 
These refineries include: Chalmette Refining (Chalmette) Murphy Oil
(Chalmette), ConocoPhillips (Alliance), Valero (Krotz Springs), CITGO (Lake
Charles), and ConocoPhillips (Lake Charles).  
 

To date, Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) offshore operations are
suspended due to power outages. 
Marine operations are scheduled to restart later today.  
 

Several pipelines shut down their systems as a result of Hurricane Rita. 
 

·        Mandatory Evacuation Orders- Rita

Source: Louisiana Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness

 

     Mandatory Evacuation Orders are still in effect for 10 Southwest
Louisiana Parishes. 

Parish residents are advised NOT to return to these areas until advised
otherwise. 
These parishes include: 
ALL of Calcasieu Parish 
ALL of Cameron Parish 
ALL of Jefferson Davis Parish 
PARTS of Vermilion Parish (low lying areas south of LA 14) 
PARTS of St. Mary Parish (below the Intercoastal Waterway) 
PARTS of Acadia Parish (South of LA 92) 
PARTS of Iberia Parish (below US Highway 90) 
PARTS of Iberville Parish (mobile homes only) 
PARTS of Jefferson Parish (Lafite, Crown Port, Barrataria & Grand Isle) 
PARTS of Lafourche Parish (South of Leon Theriot flood gates) 
 

As of 9:00 am today, 53 parishes have declared States of Emergency due to
effects of Hurricane Rita.  
These parishes include: Vermillion, Jefferson Davis, Tensas, Lafayette,
Cameron, St James, Iberia, Sabine, Calcasieu, Vernon, Natchitoches, St.
Mary, Caddo, Bossier, Ouachita, Jefferson, Acadia, Allen, East Baton Rouge,
Franklin, St. Landry, Tangipahoa, Rapides, Livingston, Terrebonne,
Evangeline, Beauregard, Richland, West Baton Rouge, Plaquemines, Winn,
Morehouse, Avoyelles, Iberville, Concordia, East Carroll, West Feliciana,
Union, West Carroll, Pointe Coupee, Jackson, Madison, Red River, Orleans,
Catahoula, Ascension, Caldwell, Desoto, Grant, Bienville, Lafourche, LaSalle
and Claiborne.  
 

·        Mandatory Evacuation Orders- Katrina

Source: Louisiana Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness

 

Mandatory Evacuation Orders are still in effect for 4 Southeast Louisiana
Parishes.

o       A curfew is in effect from 6 pm- 6 am for areas where residents are
being allowed to return.

o       Residents are urged to monitor the local media for guidance from
their local officials for information about returning home.  

o       These parishes include:

§         PARTS of Orleans Parish (low lying areas)

§         PARTS of Jefferson Parish (low lying areas)

§         PARTS of Plaquemines Parish (low lying areas)

§         PARTS of St. Bernard Parish (low lying areas)

 

·        64 parishes have declared States of Emergency due to the effects of
Hurricane Katrina.  

 

Fatalities 
Source: Department of Health & Hospitals & Louisiana State Police

 

To date, the number of Katrina- related fatalities is 885. 
 

To date, there are no confirmed Rita-related fatalities. 
 

 

National Guard 

 

To date, there are nearly 17,000 National Guard soldiers on the ground under
the command of Governor Blanco. 
 

National Guard troops are working diligently to respond to the needs of
citizens affected by Hurricane Katrina and those affected by Hurricane Rita.

 

Rita 
To date, approximately 4,000 National Guard troops have been dedicated to
Task Force Rita.  
 

The National Guard rescued approximately 2,000 citizens in the aftermath of
Rita. 
 

·        In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard delivered
the following to citizens in need:

o       More than 1,400,000 MREs

o       More than 1,600,000 bottles of water 

o       More than 415,000 bags of ice 

 

o       Katrina

·        The National Guard rescued more than 4,200 citizens in the
aftermath of Katrina.

 

·        In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard delivered
the following to citizens in need:

o       More than 5,000,000 meals 

o       More than 6,000,000 liters of water 

o       More than 12,000,000 pounds of ice 

 

 

Department of Health and Hospitals

 

The Department of Health and Hospitals - Office of Public Health will soon
begin providing flu vaccines to people in shelters across the state.  To
date, vaccines have been given to more than 8,000 shelter residents and
shelter workers. 
 

A national toll-free number is available for families whose loved ones may
have perished during Hurricane Katrina. Concerned relatives, who are unable
to find a missing loved one and fear the worst, should call the Find Family
National Call Center at 1-866-326-9393. This is the nationwide collection
point and official coordination center for information on persons missing
from the storm.  Family members can phone this number 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week. Officials remind callers this number is specifically for those
concerned that a loved one may be deceased. 
 

The Department of Health and Hospitals urges residents to use generators
safely.   In the past week alone, DHH has been alerted to several cases of
carbon monoxide poisoning due to the improper use of generators. Because
power outages remain throughout south Louisiana, generators continue to
remain in use, and the dangers remain. Information about the safe use of
generators can be found on the DHH Web site, www.dhhemergencynews.com. 
 

The Department of Health and Hospitals - Office of Mental Health is urging
all displaced employees report for work. Mental health staff is needed to
address Louisiana's critical mental health needs resulting from hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. The Office of Mental Health is attempting reopen South
East Louisiana State Hospital, and all available staff are needed to reopen
the hospital and to provide other critical mental health services.

Employees of the Office of Mental Health who are not now working at a OMH
clinic or hospital should contact the office at 1-225-342-2540 as soon as
possible. 
 

 

Department of Transportation & Development

 

·        Six (6) pumping stations have been taken off line to prevent
placing additional pressure on the breach at the 17th Street Canal and
London Avenue Canal. 

 

·        Work on the Twin Span resumed Monday, September 26, 2005 at 5:00
a.m. Additional damage from high winds will be assessed. 

 

·        The West Jefferson Levee District placed sandbags on the Harvey
Canal east side to stop overtopping during and after Rita. 

 

·        In the Lafayette/Acadiana region, all federal and state routes that
are not currently under water have been cleared for travel.           

 

·        The Calcasieu River Bridge (I-10) is closed at the present time,
but appears undamaged by Hurricane Rita. 

 

·        There is no water or power in Lake Charles. 

 

·        Bridge damage assessment teams have been formed but access is still
restricted by high water and debris.   

 

·        The DOTD Customer Call Center has taken 7,645 calls since August
31, 2005. Over the weekend (Sept. 23-25), the center took 939 calls.

 

Department of Environmental Quality

 

                                                                  

Water samples will also be taken from Duncan and Suburban canals in New
Orleans, Tchefuncta and Tangipahoa River and the Causeway Crossovers. 
 

DEQ has taken more than 850 air and water samples in the area impacted by
Katrina. The DEQ lab has conducted more than 18,000 analyses. 
 

Household Hazardous waste curbside pickup begins on Wednesday in Jefferson
Parish. 
 

Water samples will be taken from several locations in Lake Pontchartrain. 
 

Water samples will be taken at drinking water intakes along the Mississippi
River. 
 

Sediment samples will be taken in St. Bernard and Orleans parishes. 
 

The Hawk infrared camera will fly over Lake Charles in an attempt to find
leaks. The camera can detect some leaks that cannot be seen by the human
eye. 
 

An aerial assessment of between the Sabine River and Wax Lake detected
several small oil sheens and not major damage. Several industries were
visited by DEQ inspectors and no major problems were reported. Aerial and
ground assessment will continue. 
 

 

Division of Administration

 

ALL state offices in 3 parishes will reopen Wednesday, September 28, 2005. 
These parishes include: Lafayette, Rapides and St. Landry. 
 

In addition, state offices in the portions of Lafourche and Jefferson
parishes which lie below highway 90 will be closed until Wednesday September
28th, 2005. 
 

State offices in 16 parishes in will remain closed until Monday, October 3,
2005.    
These parishes include: Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron,
Jefferson Davis, Iberia, Vermilion, St. Mary, Lower St. Martin, Red River,
Terrebonne, Sabine, Natchitoches, Vernon and Desoto. 
 

·        Commissioner LeBlanc advised that all personnel can be called back
to work, regardless of these closures, at the discretion of their
supervisors. 

 

·        He also urged state employees to monitor their local media for
updates and to stay informed by periodically calling the state office work
status hotline numbers. 

o       The work status hotline numbers are: 1-800-360-9660 and
225-342-0498.

 

 

Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries

 

Enforcement Division Search and Rescue (SAR) Missions 
o       Rita

§         LDWF rescue requests received in the state Emergency Operations
Center:   through 9/26 at 5 PM  - total 215 calls responded to by LDWF
personnel. 

 

§         Many requests for assistance have gone directly to parish Offices
of Emergency Preparedness and were processed by local emergency response
personnel. 

 

§         The overall rescue effort was a cooperative air and water approach
involving: U.S. Coast Guard, La. National Guard, 82nd Airborne, local
Sheriff's Offices, Parish OEP's and civilian volunteers, as well as LDWF
enforcement division, fisheries division and wildlife division personnel.

 

§         A LDWF task force will remain in Abbeville with a second dispatch
point in Lake Charles to support SAR efforts in Calcasieu and Cameron
parishes. 

 

§         DWF personnel are also staged in Westwego to respond to needs in
the southeastern parishes. 

 

§         Total persons rescued through SAR - still to be compiled.

 

o       Katrina

§         DWLF estimates more than 21,000 lives were saved through DWLF
coordinated search and rescue operations in the aftermath of Katrina

 

Fisheries Division Facility Inspection 
Lake Charles office still standing; some water on floor, windows generally
intact, no electricity; boat shed gone. Will remain closed until further
notice. 
 

New Iberia office: facility sustained minimal damage and has electricity;
all employees have checked in and office should be open Tuesday. 
 

Houma/Bourg office: some roof damage and leaks, but has electricity; all
employees have checked in; boats intact. Office will open Tuesday. 
 

Terrebonne Parish / Sister Lake Camp intact; dock, stairs and boat shed
destroyed. 
 

Bayou Dularge boatshed: In good shape, lost icemaker. 
 

Wildlife Division Facility Inspection 
 

Rockefeller State Wildlife Refuge office and dormitory complex sustained
severe damage from ground level to the beams supporting the main buildings. 
 

White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area: (surveyed from air) considerable
water over the marsh; but structures appeared to be intact. 
 

Department of Labor

 

At least 141,990 workers and 7,368 businesses were affected by Hurricane
Rita, according to statistics from the Louisiana Department of Labor. How
many jobs and businesses were lost because of the hurricane have not been
determined.                                                                
 

Residents of parishes affected by Hurricane Rita may file for Unemployment
Insurance or Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits using the
department's Web site - www.LAWORKS.net.      
 

 

 

Louisiana Department of Education

RITA 
 

The state Department of Education is awaiting word from local districts
impacted by Hurricane Rita.  Reports of damage assessments as well as
proposed re-opening dates for schools are local issues that are usually
communicated through local media outlets, unless a district asks for our
assistance. (as was the case with Katrina) 
 

Parents should monitor their local news for the latest information about
school closures, or call their local school board offices for updates.  
 

KATRINA 
 

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets Tuesday,
September 27th, 2005 at 10 a.m., at the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge to
discuss a number of topics related to Hurricane Katrina and how it impacts
attendance, testing, funding, etc.  
 

 

Board of Regents

 

·        Board of Regents information hotline for students displaced as a
result of Rita and Katrina: 1-866-415-2269, or log on to
www.regents.state.la.us.
 
·        Displaced faculty are also encouraged to take advantage of the
Regents' online faculty registry, available as well on our web site.
 
·        For information on student financial aid and TOPS, call
1-800-259-5626 ext. 1012
 
·        The Louisiana Community and Technical College System has
established five student information lines: 1-866-310-1586, 225-922-1633,
225-922-0958, 225-922-0959, 225-922-0804.
 
·        Other key public postsecondary education information numbers: UL
System: 225-342-6950; LSU System: 225-578-2111; Southern University System:
225-771-4500
 
Hurricane Rita Campus Closure Updates
 
o       McNeese State University will remain closed through Friday, Sept.
30. 


o       Northwestern State University will resume classes Tuesday, Sept. 27.


o       University of Louisiana at Lafayette will resume classes Tuesday,
Sept. 27. 


o       All other affected UL System campuses resumed classes Monday,
September 26.


o       LSU - Baton Rouge will resume classes on Tuesday, September 27.


o       LSU - Alexandria resumed classes on Monday, September 26.


o       LSU - Eunice will resume classes on Tuesday, September 27.


o       Southern - Baton Rouge will resumed classes on Monday, September 27.


o       All LCTCS campuses affected by Rita reopened Monday, September 26,
with the following exceptions:
§         SOWELA Technical Community College (Lake Charles) will be closed
indefinitely.
 
o       Scheduled to resume classes and operations on Tuesday, September 27:

§         South Louisiana Community College (Lafayette)
§         L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College (Houma)
§         Bossier Parish Community College (Bossier)
§         And the following campuses of the Louisiana Technical College:
Baton Rouge, Florida Parishes, Folkes, Hammond Area, Jumonville Memorial,
Westside; Acadian, Charles B. Coreil, Evangeline, Gulf Area, Lafayette,
Avoyelles, Huey P. Long, Lamar Salter, Oakdale, Mansfield, Natchitoches,
Northwest, Sabine Valley, and Shreveport-Bossier.
 

 

Department of Social Services
 


>From Sept. 2 - Sept. 25, the Office of Family Support has issued nearly 

 

$111.6 million in Disaster Food Stamp Program benefits to more than 307,700
households. 
 

Residents of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and St. Tammany
parishes may continue to apply for emergency food stamp benefits through
Sept. 29. Applicants from these parishes, as well as Washington Parish, who
already have emergency food stamp benefits, will continue to receive
benefits through the month of October. 
 

Plans are underway to assist victims of Hurricane Rita in a similar manner
to those impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Contingent on federal approval, the
Disaster Food Stamp Program could be available to parishes devastated by
Hurricane Rita as soon as Oct. 1. The Department of Social Services will
provide additional information as it becomes available. 
 

Displaced citizens may use Disaster Food Stamp Benefits in any state in the
nation. For more information about the program and other social services
needs, DSS is offering a toll-free hotline at 1 (888) LA HELP U. 
 

As of noon, Sept. 26, more than 47,400 displaced citizens were located in
355 Louisiana shelters. Another 529 patients and 84 caregivers are located
in 5 special needs shelters. However, the number is in constant flux as
citizens displaced due to both Rita and Katrina attempt to return to their
homes. 
 

Shelters housing more than 25 displaced citizens and not currently
registered with the parish Office of Emergency Preparedness should call
(866) 310-7617 or in Baton Rouge, 925-1938. 
 

Department of Corrections

 

At the request of the Jennings mayor, Probation and Parole officers are
assisting with security patrols and curfew enforcement in the town of
Jennings.  Assistance was requested for up to 5 days. 
 

Probation and Parole agents continue to assist with 24/7 security at two
Lake Charles area hospitals -- Moss Regional Hospital and St. Patrick's
Hospital. 
 

The Department's goal of maintaining safe and stable correctional
environments continues. 
 

Inmate evacuees held in state and local facilities as of 9/26/2005 (both
Rita and Katrina): 
 

·        Local facilities:                      3,037 inmates
·        State facilities:                       5,218 inmates
·        Federal (Florida):      920 inmates
 

Two state correctional facilities are still without power Tuesday morning:
Allen Correctional Center in Kinder and C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center
in DeQuincy.  Both continue to operate on emergency generator power. 
 

The Department continues its assessment of local facilities to determine a
timeline for return of inmate evacuees. 
 

"Camp Amtrak" summary of arrestees to date (Sept. 3, 2005 - Sept. 26, 2005):

 

Total Misdemeanors:                        56 males        5 females 
Total State Felonies:                        310 Males      58 females 
Total Federal Felonies:                    10 Males 
 

###

The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation (LDRF), Louisiana's fund for
Louisiana's people, has been established by Governor Kathleen Babineaux
Blanco in order to support long-term family restoration and recovery and
help provide assistance to our citizens in need through a network of
Louisiana charities and non-profit agencies.

877.HELPLA1 (877.435-7521)
www.louisianahelp.org