[StBernard] UPDATE: TASK FORCE PELICAN

[Westley Annis]

UPDATE: TASK FORCE PELICAN

Wednesday - September 28, 2005

Overview


·         This is Day 29 since Hurricane Katrina made landfall and Day 4
since Hurricane Rita made landfall.  

 

·         Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco will appear before the United
States Senate Committee on Finance today at 9 am.  She will testify in
support of legislation to rebuild Louisiana's economy.

 

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 45,560 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 in the 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

Lakeside Memorial Hospital

Temporary Field House Hospital at the Convention Center

 

Lafayette Area

ALL emergency care services in the Lafayette area are operational.  

 

 

Schools 

Source: Local School Districts

            

·         Schools Affected By Rita

 

o        Calcasieu Parish schools are closed until further notice.  

·         However they emphasize that students do not need to temporarily
enroll in other schools.  

 

·         School officials in Calcasieu are working to process end of the
month payroll checks.  

 

·         Updated information will be released on the Calcasieu Parish
School System website, www.cpsb.org

 

o        Iberia Parish plans to reopen all but 4 schools today, Wednesday,
September 28, 2005. 

 

o        Cameron Parish reports schools are closed until further notice.

 

o        Lafourche Parish reports they plan to re-open schools Monday,
October 3, 2005.

 

o        St. Landry Parish reports they will re-open schools Wednesday,
September 28, 2005.

 

o        Terrebonne Parish reports that 11 schools will be closed through at
least October 4th.  

 

o        Vermilion Parish schools are closed until further notice.  

 

 

·         Schools Affected by Katrina

 

o        Plaquemines Parish reports it will reopen schools in Belle Chase on
October 17, 2005 to all students of Plaquemines Parish.

 

o        Orleans Parish schools are closed until further notice.

·         School officials also announced that employees will continue to
receive health care benefits through the month of October at no cost to the
employee.

 

o        Washington Parish schools have re-opened.

 

o        Bogalousa City Schools are scheduled to re-open Monday, October 3,
2005.

 

o        St. Tammany Parish schools are scheduled to re-open Monday, October
3, 2005.

 

o        The St. Bernard Parish School System is closed until further
notice.

 

o        Jefferson Parish Public Schools are scheduled to re-open Monday,
October 3, 2005.  

 

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/ Bridge Closures: 
·         I-10 Twin Span 

·         Causeway Bridge ( except for emergency vehicles)

·         US 90 at Pearl Bridge

·         LA 23 Belle Southbound in Plaquemines Parish

·         LA 433 at Bayou Liberty Bridge

·         Belle Chasse Tunnel

 

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 9:00 am today, approximately:   
§         448,000 Louisianianas are without power

 

·         250,000 outages are Rita-related

 

·         198,000 outages are Katrina-related

 

§         352,000 Louisianians are without telephone service

§         24,000 Louisianians are without natural gas utilities

 

Oil & Gas Infrastructure* 
Source: Louisiana Department of Natural Resources

 

To date, Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) is operating at 100%. 
 

To date, 6 of 12 major refineries in south Louisiana are operating at near
capacity. 
These refineries include: ExxonMobil (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).  
 

6 of 6 natural gas processing plants in Louisiana are currently shut down. 
3 plants are waiting on power.  These plants are: ExxonMobil  (Garden City),
Marathon ( Burns Point), and ExxonMobil  (Grand Isle).  
3 are assessing and/ or reparing damages.  These plants are: Dynegy
(Yscloskey), Dynegy (Venice) and Enterprise Products (Toca). 
 

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

·         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 896. 
 

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

 

 

National Guard 

 

As of yesterday there were 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.  
In the aftermath of Rita, the National Guard 
Rescued approximately 2,000 citizens 
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

In the aftermath of Katrina, the National Guard 
·         Rescued more than 4,200 citizens

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*

 

·         Work has resumed on the Slidell twin spans. 

o        There was a four-day work stoppage because of Hurricane Rita. 

o        Two- way traffic should resume by November. 

 

·         DOTD crews continue clearing roads in the Lake Charles area and
will secure a contractor soon to dispose of debris. 

 

·         Crews also are making road and bridge damage assessments in areas
affected by Rita. 

o        Many areas are still under water and cannot be accessed, yet.

 

 

Department of Environmental Quality*

 

·         DEQ issued a Declaration of Emergency and Administrative Order
related to Hurricane Rita. The declaration address areas such at: Waste
Water Treatment Systems, Solid Waste Management, Hazardous Waste, Open
Burning and Air Pollution. 

o        The declaration is on DEQ's web site at www.deq.louisiana.gov 

 

Inspectors also went to Lake Charles and inspected 16 sites, of which 6 are
closed. So far, inspections of areas hit by Rita have shown no releases that
would be a cause of concern. 
 

DEQ-EPA inspections found that St. Bernard/Gentilly rail yard area had two
railcars off the track. 
 

Sediment sampling teams will be in St. Bernard and Orleans parishes. 
 

Air monitoring in St. Bernard is ongoing. Also, the specially equipped EPA
air-monitoring van, known as TAGA, will be in St. Bernard Parish. 
 

Today, there will be inspections of East Jefferson, West Jefferson and
Algiers wastewater treatment plants. 
 

DEQ & EPA are setting up staging area in North Jefferson and in St. Tammany
for hazardous debris pickup. Flyers are being passed out in the areas to
inform area residents. 
 

 

Division of Administration*

 

DOA announced discretionary reopening of state offices yesterday 
This allows state agency heads to exercise their discretion in reopening
state offices which had been closed before Hurricane Rita made landfall. 
 

State agency heads in all parishes may reopen state offices as circumstances
allow and call employees in those areas back to work in accordance with
Civil Service rules 
 

Offices may be reopened as of today.  
 

Commissioner LeBlanc also called for supervisors of state workers to be
sensitive to the needs of their employees 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. 
 

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 has responded to 215 rescue requests 

 

§         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. 

 

§         LDWF 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

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

 

o        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.

 

 

Louisiana Economic Development*

 

LED is currently working to provide assistance to businesses in the affected
region by:

 

Connecting affected businesses with information and resources 
o        AccessLouiaiana

§         LED staff has serviced: 

·                     More than 6,200 requests from businesses regarding
relocation assistance and resource identification.

·                     More than 1,700 other types of requests for direct
business assistance.

 

§         LED is launching www.LEDforward.louisiana.gov. This dedicated
website will facilitate registration of businesses in affected areas with
LED to accelerate the rebuilding effort while directing these businesses to
available short term assistance. Business owners can also call LED at
1-866-310-7617 with questions or for further assistance with business
related needs. 

 

o        On the Ground Assistance

§         LED has played an important role in temporarily housing employees
in critical industries

 

§         As of Tuesday, LED has coordinated delivery of 1200 mobile housing
units purchased by FEMA for displaced workers at or near their worksites.

 

§         LED continues to work with FEMA to deploy additional requested
units on an ongoing basis. 

 

§         LED is also helping to facilitate opportunities for Louisiana
workers during the reconstruction phase.  Registration information for
businesses wishing to contract or subcontract with FEMA and its contractors
is available on our website at led.louisiana.gov.

 

o        Creating a comprehensive federal aid package

§         At Governor Blanco's direction, LED has worked on economic
development components of the comprehensive Congressional federal aid
package introduced last week by the Louisiana Delegation.

 

§         LED Secretary Michael Olivier traveled with the Governor to
Washington, D.C. today  in support of the federal aid package.

 

o        Providing Small Business assistance

§         LED is working to connect Louisiana workers with Louisiana.

 

§         A Prime contracting goal has been set at 30% and a subcontracting
goal at 40% to direct rebuilding in the affected areas to small businesses
in the affected regions.

 

 

Department of Labor*

 

DOL has taken 198,750 Hurricane Katrina-related claims for Unemployment
Insurance and Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits. 
Of that total, 177,595 have received UI or DUA benefits. 
 

DOL also began accepting Unemployment Insurance and Disaster Unemployment
Assistance claims through its toll-free number - 1-800-430-8076. 
 

DOL has extended the time that Hurricane Rita-related claims for Disaster
Unemployment Assistance can be filed. 
The deadline is November 30, 2005. 
 

 

Louisiana Department of Education*

 

·         The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met Tuesday,
September 27, 2005 and took action on several items in response to both
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita including:

o        Giving displaced Louisiana high school students the ability to
receive a Louisiana diploma if they have the required 23 Carnegie Units and
pass the Graduation Exit Exam, no matter what state they are seeking
temporary shelter.

 

Giving State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard the ability to
approve revised school calendars for districts that were closed for a
significant period of time due to either hurricane, pending legislative
approval. 
 

Waiving the high-stakes testing policy for students taking the LEAP tests in
grades 4 & 8. 
All students in Louisiana will be required to take the LEAP, iLEAP or
Graduation Exit Exam (GEE) in the Spring of 2006, however 4th & 8th grade
students will not be held back if they receive a failing score. 
 High school students must still pass the GEE in order to graduate. 
 

o        Giving the Louisiana Department of Education the ability to
continue asking the U.S. Department of Education for a partial waiver of
Annual Yearly Progress (AYP). 

§          Louisiana has asked that only students enrolled in schools or
districts for 2 years be included in School Performance Scores (SPS) and
Subgroup Score calculations. 

§         In addition, the state has asked that no schools or districts be
moved into a higher level of school improvement based on the 2005-06
calculations.

 

Waiving the maximum class size requirements.  
§         For grades K-3, classes can include 28 students, up from 26.  

§         For grades 4-12, classes can include 35 students, up from 33.  

§         For LA 4 & other Pre-K programs, classes can include up to 22
students, up from 20.

 

 

Board of Regents*

 

As a result of Hurricane Katrina and now Hurricane Rita, forty-seven (47)
percent of the students enrolled in the LCTCS for the fall 2005 semester
have been displaced. 
SOWELA Technical Community College, located in Lake Charles, was damaged
significantly as a result of Hurricane Rita.  
According to reports, the hurricane took the roof off of the main building
of the college and about ninety percent of the facility is damaged as a
result.  
Since officials from SOWELA Technical Community College have not been able
to confirm the extent of the damage to the college, a determination has not
yet been made on the status of the semester.  
As it currently stands, the administration is optimistic that the college
will reopen in the near future. 
·         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.
 
·         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.
 
·         Other key public postsecondary education information numbers: UL
System: 225-342-6950; LSU System: 225-578-2111; Southern University System:
225-771-4500
 

 

Department of Social Services*
 


>From Sept. 2 - Sept. 26, the Office of Family Support has issued nearly

$112 million in Disaster Food Stamp Program benefits to nearly 309,000
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. 

o        DSS anticipates receiving a federal response soon, to allow victims
of Hurricane Rita to receive emergency benefits like those granted to
victims of Hurricane Katrina.  

 

o        This includes residents of Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu,
Cameron, Iberia, Jeff Davis, Lafayette, LaFourche, St. Martin, St. Mary,
Terrebonne and Vermilion parishes, with additional parishes expected. If
approved, these residents could receive disaster food stamp benefits as soon
as Oct. 1. 

 

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 offers a toll-free hotline at 1 (888) LA HELP U. 
 

As of noon, Sept. 27, more than 45,560 displaced citizens were located in
347 Louisiana shelters. Another 513 patients and 108 caregivers are located
in 6 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. 
 

The Office of Community Services has located 91 percent of the foster
children displaced by Hurricane Katrina.  
 

 

Department of Corrections*

 

The Department of Corrections will be establishing a temporary interment
site for victims of Hurricane Katrina.  The Department will be responsible
for site preparation and maintenance of approximately 600 gravesites.  DOC
chaplains will also assist in conducting funerals and other appropriate
memorial services.  Details are still being worked out. 
 

Probation and Parole officers continue to assist in security roles: 
Moss Regional Hospital and St. Patrick's Hospital, both in Lake Charles. 
 

Assistance to the Jennings Police Department with curfew restrictions and
nighttime patrols. 
 

The Department is evaluating the losses and needs of hundreds of employees.
All employees in the New Orleans area have been accounted for and are safe.
SW Louisiana employees are checking in as well, but the Department has yet
to contact some of the "Rita" evacuees. 
 

Allen Correctional Center in Kinder and C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center
in DeQuincy remain on emergency generator power.  
 

C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center is now a FEMA distribution point for the
community, with inmate trustees and correctional officers assisting in the
distribution of ice, water and non-perishable food. 
 

J. Levy Dabadie Correctional Center (Pineville) officers are assisting at a
FEMA distribution site in Jonesville for north Louisiana communities still
without electricity. 
 

Offenders under Probation and Parole supervision displaced by Hurricanes
Katrina and/or Rita must check-in with the Department.  Please call
1-800-869-2909 or (225) 342-0921. 
 

###

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