Covington, Louisiana

 

Statement From Parish President Kevin Davis

St. Tammany Parish has been heavily impacted by Hurricane Katrina. There is no electricity or water service anywhere in the parish. Gas leaks have been reported parish-wide. Hospitals are running on generators and are at capacity. Ambulance services are only responding to life-threatening emergencies.

Many of our residents evacuated. They need to stay where they are.

DO NOT RETURN TO ST. TAMMANY PARISH.

There is no fuel available in St. Tammany. Returning evacuees and those attempting to pass through St. Tammany are running out of gas and finding themselves in need of shelter, further straining parish government and aid organizations.

It is important to public safety that our population remain at a minimum. I have asked those in the parish who have the means to please evacuate now to the west or north, going beyond Baton Rouge or Jackson, MS. Public schools will be closed until at least Oct. 1.

The Causeway is open only to emergency traffic and the I-10 Twin Spans are heavily damaged and closed for the foreseeable future. There is no access to Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard or Plaquemines -- or any other south shore parish -- through St. Tammany.

FEMA, the National Guard and the American Red Cross have provided thousands of workers. FEMA has opened three sites for emergency supply distribution. The Red Cross is providing shelter and food. The National Guard is assisting with security and in a variety of other capacities.

Telephone and Internet service are sporadic. We have had tremendous difficulty communicating with our citizens through the media. Please be patient and know that we are working around the clock to keep you informed and restore order.

I have declared a parish-wide curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. in the interest of public safety. Debris still clutters many roadways, and driving or walking the streets at night is unsafe. We have a State of Emergency in St. Tammany Parish, and we are exercising all civil authority to maintain order and public safety.

Your Parish Government, Sheriff's Office, and every public agency are working with hospitals, ambulance service providers, the School Board and every other service organization and system in the parish to restore order. Cleco and WST are working diligently to restore power. It will be AT LEAST one month before our power system is fully operational, and potentially much longer in the Slidell area. Parish Public Works crews are working with utility companies to clear streets. We need your assistance in staying out of the parish until it is safe to return. Tell other citizens and evacuees with whom you may have contact. Urge them to stay away if they evacuated and to evacuate now if they are able.

St. Tammany will again be the destination of choice for people wanting to raise their families in a safe, natural environment with good schools and quality law enforcement. Please help us serve you by staying at a safe distance. We will continue to work with available media to keep you informed, and will update this website as we are able.

May God bless us all

There are some more links that might be of use to anyone looking for info:

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/katrina/ (CNN's Katrina page)

http://www.nola.com/ (Louisiana page)

http://www.louisiana.gov/wps/portal/ (official state of LA page)

http://www.katrina.louisiana.gov/price_gouging.htm  (report price gouging)

http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina/locate  (find lost family members)

 

 

   Now, I'm in a nice house on Cape Cod....high and dry, you might say. I'm trying to help out a little Louisiana town, but it's not like I'm throwing sandbags or gunning down looters. There are guys trying to fix power lines in Covington that are doing more good just by being seen than I will writing this column all damn day.

   Still, I can do some good. I have the gift of your attention. You, the reader- for whatever reasons you may have- have allowed me to wander around in your head. It's a privilege, and believe me when I tell you that I think about this fact every single time I sit down at the keyboard.

   What you do after you read HAC is your own business, but while you're here.... you dance to my tune. I usually strive to entertain you, but tonight my aim is deeper.

   For starters, I'd love it if someone read this and managed to donate some money to the good people of Covington. If a Covington-specific link doesn't surface, don't let that stop you...the Red Cross will be gladto help you, and they've saved Monponsett's bacon before... in 1991, to be exact- when I had my own difficulties with the Old Man of the Sea.