Water is slowly being restored to St. John Parish; officials share storm recovery progress

Published 7:26 am Wednesday, September 1, 2021

LAPLACE — Water is slowly being restored across St. John the Baptist Parish on the East and West banks. All water customers in St. John are under a boil water advisory until further notice. Residents should boil water for one minute before consuming. You do not need to boil water to bathe.

While communication remains limited, St. John Parish has an established hotspot in its Emergency Operations Center to help distribute recovery information to residents. Officials released the following updates on the Hurricane Ida recovery process for the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 3.

Distribution Sites

WEST BANK LOCATION CHANGE – PLEASE SHARE!

Distribution Sites will be open from noon until 5 p.m. today at Wallace Fire Station and REGALA Gym. Tarps, waters and MRES will be distributed via drive-thru.

Wallace Fire Station

5733 Hwy 18, Vacherie (Wallace)

REGALA Gym

200 REGALA Park Rd, Reserve

Assistance

  • FEMA assistance is now available at FEMA.GOV. Since we have limited communications, FEMA will begin sending teams into neighborhoods to assist with registering residents for assistance.
  • Red Cross is mobilizing 50 feeding trucks in the impacted areas and conducting damage assessments.
  • Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to Louisiana businesses and residents as a result of President Biden’s major disaster declaration. The declaration covers St. John the Baptist. FOCWAssistance@sba.gov.

Power

  • Currently, there are 18,341 residents without power. Entergy crews are in the Parish assessing damage and making repairs to substations.

Roads

Note: This list is fluid. Please dial 511 for the latest.

I-55 SB open from I-12 and I-55 NB closed from I-10 to I-55 split to I-12

310 from I-10 to US 90 is open both ways

I-10 EB/WB open

I-10 Westbound from Belle Terre to Baton Rouge is open

Causeway Bridge open both ways (tolls lifted)

Airline Hwy is open both ways from New Orleans to Baton Rouge

I-10 Eastbound and Westbound open Slidell to New Orleans

US 90 going to West Bank is Open

Highway 3127 is Open

LA 18 is passable

 

Debris Removal 

Parish President Hotard has activated debris removal services.

We have 30 crews clearing roadways of debris, but they are having some difficulties working around power lines.

Residents must follow these specific guidelines regarding Hurricane Ida-related debris. Separate debris into the following categories:

• Household Garbage

• Construction Debris

• Vegetation Debris

• Household Hazardous Waste

• ‘White’ Goods

• Electronics

Please place your debris piles at the curb in the public right-of-way in front of your home. Do not set debris against trees or poles.

 

Curfew

  • St. John the Baptist Parish will be under a parish-wide curfew from 7 p.m. – 8 a.m. until further notice.

Garbage

  • Garbage collection is suspended until further notice.

Closures

  • All St. John Parish Government Offices and the St. John the Baptist Parish Courthouse are closed until Tuesday, September 7.
  • All public and Catholic schools are closed until Tuesday, September 7.

Stay Connected:

  • Sjbparish.gov, Government Access Channel (15/99), Facebook & Instagram.
  • Sign up for emergency weather alerts by texting SJPWEATHER to 888-777.

If you need emergency assistance please call 911.

Please continue to keep all of our first responders and workers who have been in the most inclement conditions serving our community in your thoughts.