(City Parish Press Release)
East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and all City-Parish officials continue to closely monitoring Tropical Storm Barry. East Baton Rouge Parish is currently under a flash flood watch until Saturday night, and a tropical storm warning until further notice.
The National Weather Service is forecasting that East Baton Rouge Parish may receive the worst effects of Barry Saturday morning through Saturday night with double digit rain amounts over the course of the next several days and tropical storm force sustained winds of 30-50 mph and gusts of up to 60 mph.
Additionally, the parish may experience flash flooding and some river flooding.
CITY-PARISH WORKING WITH PARTNERS ON PREPARATIONS
Mayor-President Broome signed and filed on Thursday an Emergency Declaration. This declaration is the parish’s initial, proactive protection measure in order to arrange additional state assistance in the event that the parish’s capabilities are exceeded.
Additionally, on Thursday Mayor Broome stood up the Emergency Operations Center at the Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness. Public Safety and City-Parish personnel will man the operations at MOHSEP around the clock.
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome is currently coordinating with Local, State, and Federal partners to monitor the disturbance and will share updates as forecasts change. Public Safety agencies and key Parish stakeholders will be monitoring on-going weather related activities from the EBRP Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
CLOSURE OF CITY-PARISH GOVERNMENT
City-Parish government is closed on Friday, July 12, 2019, with the exception of essential personnel.
CITY ASSETS
DPW and BRPD have pre-deployed barricades in flood prone areas where roadways are subject to flooding. City Officials have communicated our plan for deployment with DOTD representatives. In the event that heavy rain impedes travel, a coordinated effort will be used to deploy barricades in and around our Parish with DOTD.
Areas for barricades include:
• I-110 in Gov. Mansion curve
• Chippewa St train overpass
• Wooddale Blvd from Bellhaven Trace Drive to Florida Blvd
• Lobdell Blvd from Greenwell Springs Road to Florida Blvd
• S. Acadian @ railroad overpass
• Burbank Drive @ W. Parker Blvd
• Bluebonnet Blvd @ railroad overpass
• Florida Blvd Service Rd from Little John Drive to S. Flannery Road
• Oak Villa Blvd between Tom Drive and Florida Blvd.
• S. Sherwood Forest Blvd, running North and South of I-12
• Plank Road @ Harding Blvd
• Scenic Hwy @ Beech Street
• Scenic Hwy from 72nd to Harding Blvd
• Scenic Hwy @ Monte Sano Avenue
• North Blvd at 10th St
• 1700 block of Chadsford Avenue
• Antioch Blvd and George O’Neal Lane
City-Parish took steps today to drain the Capitol Lake by 2 feet in order to provide additional rain capacity. DPW crews used the pump station near the State Capitol to pump water out of the Capitol Lake and into the Mississippi River. This will assist with additional storage capacity and prevent flooding at the I-110 curve.
GET PREPARED
Citizens are advised to continue to heed the advice of community officials and stay informed. Please follow these preparations to ensure you and your family are prepared and informed:
• Tie down loose items in your yard
• Clear storm drains of any debris
• Get your medications taken care of and any other special medical needs.
• Ensure you have an adequate supply of food and water for all members of your family and your pets.
• Make contact with your family and friends now; discuss a plan to check-in. Use the Buddy System and check on your neighbor.
• If you lose electricity, local radio is a great source of information.
• Ensure you have extra batteries and charge your electronic devices.
• Stay informed by:
o Monitoring your local weather radio and TV stations for Tropical Storm Barry forecasts.
o Visiting www.brla.gov/emergency for the latest emergency information for our Parish.
o Download the Red Stick Ready app to view emergency information on your cellphone.
o Follow Red Stick Ready on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Preparedness resources can be found on our website at www.redstickready.com.
SAND AND SANDBAG LOCATIONS
As of today, the City-Parish has distributed approximately 665 tons of sand and 96,000 sand bags to all EBR Parish sand and sandbag locations. Additional sand and sand bags are being delivered today to all locations. Sand and Sandbag deliveries will continue on Friday.
As a precautionary measure, City-Parish officials in coordination with BREC Parks and Recreation, have pre-positioned sand and sandbags at thirteen (13) strategic locations throughout the Parish.
Sand and bags are available at the thirteen (13) following sites:
• BREC Airline Highway Fairgrounds – 16072 Airline Highway
• BREC Alsen Park – 601 Old Rafe Mayer Road
• BREC Cadillac Street – 6117 Cadillac Street
• BREC Doyles Bayou Park – 7801 Port Hudson-Pride Road
• BREC Flannery Road Park – 801 S Flannery Road
• BREC Hartley-Vey at Gardere Park – 1702 Gardere Lane
• BREC Lovett Road Park – 13443 Lovett Road
• BREC Memorial Stadium – 1702 Foss Street
• St. George Fire HQ – 14100 Airline Highway
• Government St & S. 22nd - 2147 Government Street
• 1507 Mississippi St. at the Public Works Yard
• 3325 Groom Rd. Behind City Hall
• Zachary Youth Park, 1650 Mt. Pleasant Road
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
The Department of Maintenance is continuing to check our major outfalls, channels, creeks, road crossings, and problem areas throughout the Parish. They have crews cleaning around our roadside storm drains removing dirt, grass, trash, and debris that may be blocking these drains.
Tips to improve drainage:
• Keep gutters and drains free of debris
• Place lawn clippings in garbage cans, and never blow or sweep them into a catch basin
• Encourage your neighbors to do the same
PUBLIC SAFETY
Baton Rouge Police Department has transitioned to 12-hour shifts in order to have increased presence in the city, effective 5:00am on Friday, July 12.
EMS has transitioned to a modified staffing level in order to have increased presence in the parish. Additionally, Acadian Ambulance has located five extra units in the parish. East Baton Rouge 911 Center has seen a 25% increase in 911 calls over the past several days.
SANITATION COLLECTION
Garbage and recycling services will be running normal routes on Friday, July 12. Some delays may occur in the event of strong storms, depending on their severity.
Garbage and recycling services are cancelled on Saturday, July 13, due to the threat of high winds and rain.
The Department of Environmental Services has notified its debris contractor for the potential for activation, as a proactive step only. The Department of Environmental Services is reviewing procedures with the contractor in the event that debris removal is activated.
311 CALL CENTER
The 311 call center is operating 24-hours. Call-takers are manning the phones throughout the day and night. Residents are encouraged to call 311 for general information and to report non-life threatening emergencies.
STAY INFORMED
For more information please visit www.brla.gov/emergency, contact MOHSEP at (225) 389-2100, follow us @RedStickReady on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and download the Red Stick Ready mobile application - free on Apple and Android devices by searching "Red Stick Ready".