LAFAYETTE PARISH — Mayor-President Monique Boulet praised her administration’s response to last week’s unprecedented snowstorm, calling it a “tremendous response.”
City leaders provided an update on Lafayette’s efforts to recover from the historic storm at Tuesday’s Special Parish and City Council meetings, exactly one week after the blizzard blanketed Acadiana with over 10 inches of snow.
“We’re extremely honored and proud of the team that came together,” Boulet said during the meeting.
The winter storm, which hit on Tuesday, Jan. 21, left the region’s infrastructure, including roadways and water distribution systems, severely impacted.
Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) Director Jeffrey Stewart explained how the storm affected water pressure throughout the city.
“The lowest water pressure we recorded was at 40% on Wednesday afternoon,” Stewart said, adding that the low pressure nearly led to a boil water advisory for the entire city. He also noted that LUS had to restrict water flow but managed to restore service to nearly all customers within the week.
Despite challenges, city officials said local resources and ingenuity were crucial to recovery efforts. The most pressing concern during the storm, however, was medical emergencies.
“The biggest challenge was responding to medical calls,” said Christina Dayries, chief of staff for LCG. “Acadiana Ambulance was getting calls about people getting stuck, and that was the most concerning part at the time.”
Warren Abadie, director of Public Works for Lafayette Consolidated Government, said the city deployed 30 pieces of equipment and personnel to clear roads, including 15 heavy machines and an additional 15 units procured for the effort, with seven crews staged at Public Works by early Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, Lafayette Consolidated Government officials reported providing shelter to 115 people, along with 2 dogs and 4 cats, during the winter weather event
While the city has fully recovered from the snowstorm, officials are still assessing the full impact of the winter weather.
