PRESS RELEASE
St. John Opens Distribution Sites with Red Cross, Urges Conservative Use of Sewer Services Point Of Distribution Sites: Distribution begins @ 10 am on September 4, 2008 and will consist of water and food. Red Cross locations are:
Residents are allowed to return, but those who can stay where they have evacuated should stay for another day or two to allow for more services to be returned. SERVICES ARE FEW. Power is out parish wide. Sewerage service is unreliable until power is restored. FEW STORES and BUSINESSES are open. CURFEW is still in place from 8 pm to 6 am. Be prepared to be ON YOUR OWN for several days. HOSPITAL IS OPEN for EMERGENCIES ONLY. Elective services will begin next week at some point. **Dialysis services are NOT available. ROADS: Most parish interior roads are open. I-55 exit is closed at times as water from Lake Pontchartrain moves in and out. Traffic delays at the intersection of I-10 and I-55 heading into the metro area. St. John residents are urged to use Airline Hwy to come into the parish. There is high water on Old Hwy 51. GARBAGE COLLECTION: Regular schedule to resume Thursday, September 4, 2008. SCHOOLS: All schools in St. John Parish will be closed this week. CURFEW nightly from 8 pm to 6 am and is extended through Thursday. POWER: 14,000 customers are without electricity on the East and West Bank. Parish officials are working with Entergy to reestablish services. Power will be restored to medical facilities within the next day or two. Parish officials have been told that restoring power to the entire parish may take weeks. Upon return residents are asked to call 1-800-9-OUTAGE to report power outages. All parish sewerage lift stations are waiting for power from Entergy to provide full service to the residents of St. John Parish. WATER/SEWERAGE: Sewerage service is sporadic throughout St. John. Crews are working at returning these services to full capacity but the lack of power is straining the system. President Hubbard has ordered 5 pumper tanks to begin to pump the various lift stations to help alleviate the problem until Entergy brings power to those areas. PARISH OFFICIALS ASK THAT RESIDENTS minimize use of this service. DEBRIS: Please begin cleaning your property upon your return. Place all debris on the curb of your property. Crews will be picking this debris over the next week or two. PLEASE DO NOT PLACE DEBRIS IN THE DRAINAGE DITCHES AND CANALS. *Debris Management Crews are beginning the debris clean-up effort in full force. Crews will be working from 7am -7pm..residents are asked to begin cleaning their property and place their green debris in one pile at the edge of the road. **However, Parish officials ask that residents AVOID placing their debris near fire hydrants and cable boxes to avoid these being inadvertently ripped by debris pick up crews. Residents who stayed in the parish are asked to assist with the drainage situation and clean the catch basins in their neighborhoods and attempt to clear ditches and culverts of any debris. FEDERAL DISASTER DECLARATION: On September 2, 2008, President Bush issued a Disaster Declaration for the State of Louisiana, including St. John the Baptist Parish. For those requesting individuals and household assistance the declaration number is: FEMA-1786-DR You can apply online at www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) CLOSED until further notice: Animal Shelter, Post Office, Courthouse, Schools, Libraries ###
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