Calcasieu Parish update for October 12

Calcasieu Parish officials announced Monday that the parish’s mandatory evacuation will be lifted as of noon on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

A link to the official executive order will be available for download at calcasieuparish.gov when it is signed.

• Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Stitch Guillory announced the new curfew time of 10 p.m.-6 a.m. The curfew affects all residents, except those who are considered essential personnel. Essential employees must be able to present work IDs. Guillory said 41 people were picked up for violating curfew – 31 of those were booked into jail.

• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has reopened its Operation Blue Roof Program in Calcasieu Parish. Metal roofs are also eligible. To apply for this FREE service, call 1-888-ROOF-BLU or visit: www.usace.army.mil/blueroof// [l.facebook.com]

• The parish evacuation plan for residents who need transportation to shelters has been reinstated. Residents may call 211 for shelter information or 911 if they cannot self-evacuate to the Burton Complex. Residents who can self-evacuate may drive to the Megashelter in Alexandria at 8125 Highway 71 South.

• National Guard will distribute food, water and ice to residents from 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. at the following locations:

Lake Charles Civic Center, 900 Lakeshore Dr.
Old Tyme Variety Store, 810 Ruth St., Sulphur

DeQuincy Railroad Museum

Iowa KC Hall, 503 U.S. 90

568 Sulphur Ave., Westlake

Memorial Park Plaza- 3009 Gerstner Memorial Parkway, Lake Charles

• Boat traffic on the Calcasieu River and English Bayou areas north of the Saltwater Barrier to the Calcasieu Parish line and on the West Fork of the Calcasieu River is still restricted to commercial and law enforcement vessels and boats.

• Report your Hurricane Delta damages to FEMA at www.damage.la.gov [damage.la.gov]. FEMA is currently doing Delta damage assessments.

• Entergy reports that 79 percent of customers in Calcasieu have had their power restored. They estimate that the majority of customers will be restored by Thursday, Oct. 15. To report an outage: www.entergy.com [entergy.com]. Beauregard Electric: www.beci.org [beci.org]

• Waste Management has resumed its regular routes. Republic Services also resume routes and will be collecting Monday customers on Tuesday. They will continue servicing each day’s customers one day behind schedule through Saturday, Oct. 17. Call Waste Management at 436-7229 with questions or if you’re missing a trash container.

• Water service remains an issue in Calcasieu Parish. Contact your water system provider should you suspect a leak or other damage to your water system. Boil advisories have been issued for nine Calcasieu Parish water providers including Vinton, Iowa, the City of Lake Charles. Calcasieu Waterworks District No. 1 and Carlyss Waterworks District No. 9.

• Officials are asking residents to be safe operating generators and chain saws. Safety guidelines are available on the Emergency Information Page at calcasieuparish.gov. Most of the deaths attributed to Hurricane Laura were due to carbon monoxide poisoning caused by generators.

• FEMA has resumed its drive-thru services and walk-up operations. The Drive-thru Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) at the Calcasieu Parish School Board in Lake Charles is now at the Lake Charles Civic Center. The DRC at the Sulphur Regional Library is now at Frasch Park, 400 Picard Road in Sulphur. No appointment is necessary. Hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. In addition, there are two sites that offer walk up services: Huber Park Community Center, 24021 Fourth Ave. (14th Street entrance) in Lake Charles (open Oct. 1- Oct. 8) and Martin Luther King Center, 2009 N. Simmons St., Lake Charles (open through Oct. 8). Both are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Face masks are required. To register for FEMA federal disaster assistance, call 1-800-621-3362 or register online at disasterassistance.gov. [disasterassistance.gov] The deadline to apply is Oct. 27.

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency is still offering Direct Temporary Housing Assistance, rental assistance and the multi-family lease and repair programs to help residents find suitable homes as they recover for Hurricane Laura.

• FEMA Division Supervisor Jerry Stolar reminds residents that they only have to register with FEMA once to be eligible to be considered. Being registered does not guarantee temporary housing. FEMA will call eligible homeowners. They began making these calls and are doing so seven days a week. FEMA asks residents to contact them if they are not reached within 7-10 days. Visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov [calcasieuparish.gov], download the FEMA mobile app at fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/app [calcasieuparish.gov] or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Deadline to register is Oct. 27.

• The parish debris contractor has resumed pickup. A total of 140 trucks are removing debris daily from the 1,100 miles of parish roads. Debris is being taken to eight temporary landfills – more are being added to quicken the process. Trucks are picking up an estimated 60,000 cubic yards of debris a day. Debris trucks have extended boom claws so residents do not need to place debris in the ditches or block the roadways. It is important to sort debris when placing it curbside – separate piles into vegetation, construction, appliances/white goods, electronics and hazardous household waste. Visit the Emergency Information Page at calcasieuparish.gov [l.facebook.com] for a graphic and video explaining the separation process.

• The Residential Solid Waste Convenience Centers in Lake Charles and Sulphur are closed until further notice.

• Visit Calcasieu Parish Animal Services' new link at petharbor.com for Hurricane Laura pets. If you are holding or found an animal since the storm, please make a post on the Pet Harbor Disaster page. If you see any animal injured or in distress, call the shelter's temporary phone number at 337-853-9573 for assistance. Please like the shelter’s Facebook Page at “Calcasieu Parish ASA.”

• The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury’s Division of Planning and Development has guidance on which storm-related repairs need permits for the work to be completed. Residents in unincorporated areas of Calcasieu Parish need to obtain permits if their electrical service (e.g. the weatherhead) is damaged or if they have structural damage (e.g. new framing is required to repair the roof). They do not need permits if the electrical damage is limited to the utility company’s components (e.g. the line is down at the road) or if the damage is cosmetic (e.g. replacing shingles). Other examples are non-structural roofing, tarping and demolition. For more detailed information, visit https://www.calcasieuparish.gov/services/planning-development [calcasieuparish.gov]. To apply for and check the status of building permits online, visit www.calcasieuparish.gov/Permits [l.facebook.com]. If you have any questions, call 721-3600 or 721-3610. Staff is limited so please be patient when calling.

• United Way of Southwest Louisiana’s Hurricane Relief Center and food pickup location is located at 2401 6th St., Lake Charles, for those in need. Available items include non-perishable food, pet food, bottled water and cleaning supplies. Hot meals will be available at lunch every day. Donations can be dropped off at this location. It will be open 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. seven days a week. Volunteers are always needed. To make a donation, visit https://unitedwayswla.org/donations [l.facebook.com] to fill out an online form.

• Call United Way’s 211 to connect with resources for help, including places to donate items, a list of open pharmacies, Urgent Care facilities and more.

• A “Keep Calm Line” has been established to connect residents to resources when dealing with their stress and mental health: 1-866-310-7977. Also, residents can call 211 for 24-hour crisis counseling.

• All Calcasieu Parish Police Jury offices are closed to the public. Call 337-721-3500 with any questions.

The next parish briefing is 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14.