[StBernard] FW: St. Bernard Gustav 10 pm update

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish has no street or home flooding
Parish spared; no significant damage reported
Officials are pushing for a quick return of citizens and businesses
 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro and the Parish Council members
worked with officials from several state and federal agencies in several
phases of the hurricane response, including sandbagging of the federal
protection levee at Caernarvon. The end result is that there was no flooding
of streets or any structures in the parish.

"It was divine intervention," Taffaro said. "The hurricane was obviously
less than catastrophic We had incredible regional cooperation and a regional
plan that we followed. We want our residents to return as soon as possible.
We have a plan, but the state officials have to certify that the roads and
bridges are safe for residents to return."

Taffaro stressed that he and the council want residents to return as soon as
possible, but they need to be patient.

"We want our residents to return as soon as possible. We do not have a huge
amount of damage to fix. Entergy will be here at dawn to complete the
assessment and needs," he said.

Nearly half of the state was affected by Gustav, and Entergy has a massive
job to do.

Chief Deputy Jimmy Pohlmann said the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office still has
the checkpoints in place and the parish is locked down at its borders. Those
who chose to stay behind are still under a 24-hour curfew and are not
allowed to leave their homes.

Residents who want more information about re-entry can call 504-278-1593.