- Mayor-President speaks on Lafayette's hurricane readiness
- LCG revealed an updated emergency readiness plan to address shortcomings in the current plan
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
With Hurricane Beryl devastating the Caribbean and parts of Texas, Mayor-President Monique Boulet is assessing Lafayette’s readiness should a major hurricane or disaster come this way.
Calling Lafayette’s emergency readiness plan, “limited,” Boulet’s office is looking to develop an updated emergency plan in case of a major disaster.
“We’re looking at really trying to be ready for all potential emergencies that we may be faced. We certainly need to be more prepared for where we are today,” said Boulet.
A recent emergency preparedness seminar hosted by the Governor’s Office on Homeland Security, revealed 35 areas of concern for Lafayette’s disaster response including shelters, evacuation plans, and gaps in communication between Lafayette Consolidated Government and other agencies. Boulet revealed that the plan is limited if needed for a major disaster like significant hurricane threats seen across the region.
“What we have is a list of suggested shelters. What we need is who’s going to open the door, who has the keys, who’s going to staff it, where is food going to come from, where the water going to come from? We don’t have all those questions answered, and in a disaster, getting all those details takes twice the effort than pre-disaster,” said Boulet.
Boulet’s concerns regarding Lafayette’s readiness plan partly stem from the May storms which left thousands without electricity, and resulted in downed trees, and home damage across Acadiana. Boulet noted that the storms revealed several weaknesses in Lafayette's current emergency plan.
“I think we could do better than what we did after the storms in May. I think we can respond quicker, a higher level of coordination, and bringing in the professionals who have the relationships across the emergency preparedness world,” said Boulet.
Boulet is proposing to move Lafayette’s Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness office from 911 to Lafayette Consolidated Government. The plan also calls for the hiring of a new Emergency Director and Emergency Officer to spearhead disaster coordination efforts from LCG.
Chief of Staff for LCG, Christina Dayries , is leading the new emergency coordination plan.
“Sheltering was our biggest areas, we saw significant gaps. We’re working on our communications, and we’re also working on our transportation and evacuation. We really want to refine that messaging, hit the vulnerable population and low-lying areas to give them the transportation they need to move to higher ground or safer area,” said Dayries.
In the meantine, Dayries says Lafayette Parish is, “ready for an event,” if Lafayette is faced with a major disaster.
