[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Special Needs Residents are Eligible for Assistance with Evacuation

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish Special Needs Residents are Eligible for Assistance with
Evacuation

 

St. Bernard Parish residents with Special Needs are eligible for assistance
in evacuating should a mandatory evacuation be called, either due to a
hurricane or another type of emergency which might arise in the parish.
Parish President David Peralta urges those who need help evacuating to
register with the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness by
calling 504-278-4322.  We will send you the necessary forms which must be
completed and returned to the office.

 

We also have our Special Needs Forms and instructions on our website,
http://www.sbpg.net.  Click on the Download Form and Instructions flashing
ribbon in the right side of the screen, then click print.  Read the follow
the instructions carefully when filling out the form.  Incomplete forms will
not be accepted. 

 

In order to be eligible for this program you must process a valid ID or
driver's license.  If you do not have a valid ID or driver's license you
will be processed by the St. Bernard Parish Sheriffs' Office for
identification purposes. 

 

Forms are held for one year, from hurricane season to hurricane season.  If
it has been a year since you filled out a form, it is your responsibility to
fill out a current form and return it to us.  Also, if your contact
information changes (address and telephone number) or if your circumstances
have changed since you last filled out a form, please fill out a new form
and forward to the following address:

          

          Critical Transportation Needs

          2009 Esteban St.

          Arabi, LA 70032

          ATTN:  Pamela Wegener

 

Those with Special Needs would include two categories:

 

1.     Residents who require a degree of medical care that exceeds that of
general population, such as the disabled, the infirmed or those who are
electrically            dependent.

 

2.     Residents who do not otherwise have transportation to get them to a
bus pick-up area where they would be taken to a shelter outside of St.
Bernard Parish.

 

It is important that Special Needs residents pre-register with the Office of
Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to insure transportation. "If
you do not have transportation, we need to know about it," Peralta said.

 

Residents register with the program would be evacuated in the time period of
60-54 hours before tropical force winds make landfall on the Louisiana
coastline, according to the  St. Bernard Parish Office of Homeland Security
and Emergency Preparedness.

 

It is your responsibility to listen to the public service announcements
which will give you specific directions, as the hurricane approaches.

 

Once we hit the 40 hour mark prior to landfall, the parish will not be able
to provide transportation and people will have to find another means of
getting out of the parish.  This is why we are getting the word out early.