News from ST TAMMANY: The Parish is CLOSED (Slidell, Mandeville)

[Nikki Stone 1]

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWL082905ross.86c6840.html

Slidell suffers extensive flood damage; Mandeville, Covington wind damage, power loss

03:03 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 30, 2005

WWLTV.com

Statement from Parish President Kevin Davis:

St. Tammany Parish Emergency Operations Center Parish Status Update

Tuesday, August 30, 2005 2:00 PM Contact PIO desk at Emergency Center @ 985-898-2860

IF YOU HAVE EVACUATED ST. TAMMANY PARISH, DO NOT RETURN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. THE PARISH IS CLOSED.

Citizen actions needed:

1- Stay at home. SIGHTSEEING IS FORBIDDEN. Do not enter the streets. A curfew is in place from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Violators are subject to arrest.

2- Drink only bottled water OR water that has been at a full boil for at least ten minutes. Do not drink or cook with any water that has not been disinfected. If you have any doubts, do not drink the water.

3- Stay out of flood waters. If you live in a high water area with central sewerage, sewage will be in the water. Stay out of ALL flood waters.

Reports:

Emergency Operations:

We are working with the State Office of Emergency Preparedness and FEMA to bring water, food and fuel for emergency responders into the parish. Help is on the way. We are working with the Red Cross to establish temporary shelters. We will release information about distribution centers as soon as locations are ready.

Roads & Power:

CLECO & WST crews and the St. Tammany Parish Department of Public Works are clearing major roads to allow FEMA to enter parish. 200 line and trimming crews are beginning work. 550 additional personnel were in-route as of Noon. Thousands of poles are down. Major damage parish-wide. Emphasis will be to restore emergency & medical sites first. Gas line breaks were wide-spread. Gas companies are working.

9-1-1 & Telephone:

The 9-1-1 grid is not operational as of this morning. Work is underway to restore the grid and all land-line communications. No report on cell towers at this time.

The North span of the Causeway is open to Emergency Vehicles ONLY.

The Twin Span is closed in both directions. Sections of the bridge missing.

According to the latest Red Cross figures, 5,400 persons were sheltered in St. Tammany, Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. This number is fluctuating..


City of Slidell:

Lake waters are beginning to recede. Water is still standing from Fremaux Avenue southward. The City of Slidell Police Department and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s office are using boats to rescue citizens stranded by flood water. The City experienced major flooding from Gause Boulevard south. STAY OUT OF THE PARISH. There is major tree and power-line damage city-wide. All major arterial roads are impassable.

City of Mandeville:

Flood waters reached to Monroe Street. There are no utilities in the City. There is NO ACCESS south of Hwy 190. The City is in the clearing process.

Town of Folsom:

Trees down, all utilities out. No flooding reported at this time.

Town of Abita Springs:

Trees down, all utilities out. No flooding reported at this time.

Town of Madisonville:

Trees down, all utilities out. Majority of building had some flooding.

The Parish is sending emergency crews to contact areas that have not sent reports to the EOC.

St. Tammany Parish School Board: All schools are closed until further notice.

[Nikki Stone 1]

1. Bridge

2:09 P.M. - Video on WAFB-TV shows the Twin Spans between I-10 and Slidell broken in dozens of spots.

http://users.boardnation.com/~apocalypsia/index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=1429

[CottonBear]

2. Senator: Slidell area likely hardest hit by Katrina

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/083005/new_slidell0sen01.shtml

Senator: Slidell area likely hardest hit by Katrina

Capitol news bureau

Much of Slidell is under water and likely sustained the worst damage from Hurricane Katrina, tate Sen. Tom Schedler, R-Mandeville, said Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Calling the devastation “total”, Schedler said, only slabs remain where dozens of houses were blown down and several feet of water remain in the Slidell Memorial Hospital on Gause Boulevard as well as throughout the old town area off U.S. 11.

Slidell is a suburban community of about 25,000 people northeast of New Orleans near where Interstates 10, 12 and 59 intersect in St. Tammany Parish.

<snip>

“Slidell is as bad as New Orleans east and some other areas in St. Bernard Parish,” Schedler said. “It’s a problem that will be with us for months and years.”

more...

[SteppingRazor]

4. Crap. My mom's best friend lives in Slidell. n/t

[CottonBear]

5. LaPlace hospital closed; Slidell hospital seeks nurses

LaPlace hospital closed; Slidell hospital seeks nurses

Tuesday, 4:46 p.m.

Officials said River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace was closed and that the hospital was routing patients to Ascension Parish.

Meanwhile, Northshore Hospital in Slidell had put out a call for credentialed nurses
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08.html#075161
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News blackout from hard-hit storm areas

Tuesday, 4:31 p.m.

All afternoon, WWL radio was seeking news from St. Tammany Parish, particularly Slidell, to no avail.

News from St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, like Slidell, absolutely slammed by the hurricane, was also scarce
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08.html#075161
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GO TO THIS FORUM FOR ST. TAMMANY INFO! Good luck.
http://www.wwltv.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=1
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[CottonBear]

3. Sen and Gov talking about St. Tammany, no mention of Lacombe

though. Slidell is really bad along with areas closest to lake. They flew over the area.
http://www.wdsu.com/video/4907831/detail.html