[StBernard] Tropical storms to trigger evacuations

[Westley Annis]

Tropical storms to trigger evacuations

St. Bernard readies its hurricane plan
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
By Karen Turni Bazile
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau 

St. Bernard Parish officials plan to order a mandatory evacuation for all
residents in trailers -- most of the people living in the parish -- if a
tropical storm threatens to directly hit the parish during this hurricane
season, according to a tentative hurricane plan.

The parish will hold its hurricane summit Thursday at 10 a.m. that will
include all agencies involved in hurricane preparations and response. Parish
Council members and administration officials met Monday to review last
year's response to Hurricane Katrina and consider improvements and changes
made since then. 

The hurricane plan will not be finalized until after Thursday's summit and
it is approved by Parish President Junior Rodriguez. It will also need
ratification by the council. 

Among the changes in this year's plan, even tropical storms will trigger
mandatory evacuation orders, especially for those living in travel trailers
provided as temporary housing while they rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane
Katrina, said Larry Ingargiola, the parish director of Homeland Security and
Emergency Preparedness. 

Parish officials plan to call for evacuations of low-lying areas whenever a
tropical storm threatens the region. 

Mandatory evacuations will be ordered for the entire parish if it is in the
direct path of an approaching tropical storm, or stronger system. 

Hurricane Katrina severely damaged nearly every home and business in the
parish, and most of the 20,000 residents who have returned live in trailers,
built to withstand winds of about 50 mph, Ingargiola said. 

He also cautioned parish residents not to attempt to ride out storms in
homes still being repaired. Buildings gutted to the studs lack the
structural stability to withstand even weak storm systems. 

Councilman Craig Taffaro, who led Monday's panel discussion, agreed. 

For those few families who are living in their completely refurbished homes,
Taffaro said they should be safe during tropical storms although officials
still are worried about street flooding, since such storms can produce a lot
of rain and the parish's drainage system is compromised by storm damage and
debris. 

Col. Bill Croft, a retired emergency planning official with the Louisiana
National Guard, who is under contract to review the parish's response to
Katrina, suggested establishing a shelter in the parish for residents who
live outside the levee system. 

It could be opened during less serious storms, he said, fearing that many
residents would be reluctant to evacuate to areas hours away during every
storm. 

But several parish officials agreed that widespread devastation left the
parish without any safe public buildings to house evacuees. 

To accommodate evacuees, 12 school buses donated to the parish and nine
parish transit buses will help move people and their pets, which must be
secured in travel cages. 

Councilman Mark Madary said animals might be transported on separate buses
from residents, but only if the parish were assured that the buses were
traveling to the same destination. 

"Some details are still be worked out," Madary said. "I know of people who
died because they stayed behind because of the dog. If you can't get them
out without the animals, then we need to address that. . . . It's a good
first step in us getting a real workable plan," Madary said. 

Ingargiola said anyone with special needs who will need transportation for a
storm should call his office at 278-4268. 

Other changes made for this storm season include improved communications and
a better system of managing resources such as food, water and boats during
catastrophic storms, parish officials. 

Those resources are already on hand and will be better staged so they will
be available if needed. 

Ingargiola said there is a new radio system in place to allow local
officials to communicate with other leaders statewide as well as new means
for in-parish emergency responders to communicate during emergencies. 

. . . . . . . 

Karen Turni Bazile can be reached at kturni at timespicayune.com or (504)
826-3835.