Families in the River Parishes are on high alert Wednesday evening as Tropical Storm Arthur moves closer to Louisiana.
Parish leaders in the River Parishes are echoing the same message to stay weather-aware over the next few hours, especially as families make preparations and have need for sandbags.
“It seems like that’s really the resource that’s needed right now,” Jaclyn Hotard, St. John the Baptist Parish president, said. “We want our residents to just monitor the conditions if they can; if they do see any, you know, water in the roadway, they’re going to drive down, don’t do that.”
Parish leaders said there’s a plan to alleviate flooding, if needed, which includes pushing water out to the lake.
“The lake levels are not higher than normal right now, so that gives us retention, so that’s something that’s working in our favor,” Hotard said.
St. Charles Parish leaders said they’re prepared as well.
“Right now I feel confident; we have public works out to do last preparations today. EOC is staffed, our public works team is going to be staffed up tonight,” Matthew Jewell said.
Officials in Lower Jefferson Parish, in places like Barataria, have placed wooden sticks with orange paint at the top.
The idea is to give residents who stay in low-lying areas a route out in case the water from the bayou starts to creep onto the road.
“If that wind blows like I think it’s going to do, Thursday, Friday, I can not count how many times I’ve been trapped down here because you can get through two feet of water,” Kerry Lauricella, with Lafitte Area Board, said.
READ MORE:River Parishes and low-lying areas prepare for Arthur
