Baton Rouge – As cleanup from Hurricane Laura begins, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., is reminding residents to hire only professional-licensed arborists to perform work on storm-damaged trees.

“Anyone doing tree work in Louisiana is required to obtain a license through the LDAF,” Strain said. “Hiring only licensed-professional arborists protects you, the homeowner, since licensed arborists are not only trained to properly execute tree work, but they must also maintain liability insurance. I also urge you to get a written estimate and, while you may be required to pay a reasonable deposit, you should never pay for the job in full up front.”

“Following hurricanes, we see an increased number of people going door-to-door offering tree services,” Strain said. “When hiring an arborist to remove storm-damaged trees, always ask to see their license and a current copy of the arborist’s liability insurance certificate.”

According to the Louisiana horticulture law: No person shall receive fees, advertise or solicit business in a regulated profession or occupation unless this person holds the appropriate license or permit, or has a regular employee who holds the appropriate license or permit, or is employed by a person who holds the appropriate license or permit. In addition, all licensees are required to place their license numbers on all business-related vehicles that have advertisements on them.

No license is required for someone doing tree debris removal, which includes cutting up and hauling away fallen trees.

Strain added that any work on a tree or portion of a tree still standing will require an arborist license.

Like so many others in western Louisiana, Melrose Plantation has been impacted by Hurricane Laura. The historic site will remain closed until further notice. We are so grateful that the historic buildings, artifacts, and artworks were spared. However, there has been extensive damage to our beautiful grounds and we are working diligently to clean up and restore the site. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by this storm. Stay safe Louisiana, and we will welcome y’all back soon!

We will continue to post updates on our Facebook page (Melrose Plantation) and our website (melroseplantation.org)

BATON ROUGE- State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning and Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain have issued a cease and desist order for all private burning, pursuant to authority under R.S. 40:1602, for the following parishes: Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, Jackson, Jeff Davis, LaSalle, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, Union, Vernon and Winn.

Private burning shall only be allowed by permission of the local fire department or local government. This order is effective as of 8 a.m., August 31, 2020 and shall remain in effect until rescinded.

“The extensive damage caused Hurricane Laura includes several water systems. That means many communities are without adequate water service for potential fire suppression needs,” said State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning, “This order will hopefully assist local first responders by reducing unnecessary fire calls that they will be challenged to answer due to a lack of infrastructure, resources and personnel already tasked with Laura recovery efforts.”

This ban shall not apply to prescribed burns by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, by those trained and certified by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, or by those who conduct prescribed burning as a “generally accepted agriculture practice” as defined by the Louisiana Right to Farm Law

(R.S. 3:3601 et seq.).

Violation of this Fire Marshal order could result in criminal and/or civil penalties.

Baton Rouge- The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announces that beginning on Monday, August 31, crews will begin debris pickup of debris on state right of way in the Acadiana and Central regions that were impacted by Hurricane Laura. There are thousands of miles of state right of way impacted and DOTD staff and contractors will be making more than one pass through many areas. As other impacted areas become clear, crews will be move into those areas to address the state right of way.

Crews will start removal on the following routes:

• LA 119 in Natchitoches Parish
• LA 121 in Rapides Parish
• LA 505 in Winn Parish
• LA 167 in Grant Parish
• LA 474 in Sabine Parish
• LA 107 in Avoyelles Parish
• LA 463 in Vernon Parish
• I-10 from the Texas state line to Acadia Parish line
• I-210 from West Jct to East Jct in Calcasieu Parish
• US 90 from LA 109 in Toomey to the Acadia Parish line
• US 190 from the Texas state line to the Acadia Parish line
• US 165 from US 90 to the Rapides Parish line
• US 171 from US 90 to the Vernon Parish line
• LA 12 from the Texas state line to US 171
• LA 27 (west of Calcasieu River) from LA 82 to Vernon Parish line
• LA 27 (east of Calcasieu River) from LA 82 to LA 14
• LA 14 from LA 27 to US 171
• LA 26 from Vermilion Parish Line to US 171
• LA 93 from LA 182 to the Lafayette Parish line in St. Landry Parish
• LA 89 from LA 92 to the Iberia Parish line
• LA 1252 from the Lafayette Parish line to LA 92
• US 90 from Parkerson Ave. in Crowley to the Lafayette Parish line
• LA 95 from LA 365 to LA 178
• LA 319 in St. Mary Parish
• LA 376 in Evangeline Parish
• LA 82 from the Cameron Parish line to LA 3147
• LA 344 from W. LA 86 to E. LA 86
• LA 96 from LA 182 to LA 31

Given the magnitude of the disaster and the amount of debris produced, the department will conduct the first pass of pick up before starting a second pass of pickups. Citizens are asked to be patient and where possible move debris to the roadway, not in travel lanes so the pickups will be effective.

Motorists can view where crews are, where they are going, and how many miles of roadway were cleared through an interactive map on 511la.org beginning the evening of Monday, Aug. 31. DOTD appreciates the public’s patience and reminds traveling motorists to drive with caution through all construction sites and to look out for work crews and their equipment.

Travelers can also access this information by visiting the 511 Traveler Information Web site at http://www.511la.org

8/29/20 MORNING UPDATE

Some of our utility customers are starting to see restoration of power. Utility crews continue to work diligently to restore power in the City of Natchitoches. As of now 65% of our customers have been restored, but there is still a lot of work to do. A huge thanks to the City of Natchitoches’ Utility Department for their efforts to date.

Natchitoches has also started receiving donations of which we are truly grateful.

Remember Sunday, August 30, at mid-day the National Guard have a POD (Point of Distribution) set up to distribute Water, MRE’s, and Ice to citizens of Natchitoches Parish.

Locations are as follows:

1. Natchitoches Central High School
2. Lakeview High School

More updates will be available as we receive them.

The Natchitoches Parish School Board has taken many protective measures to ensure the safety of all students and faculty in Natchitoches Parish for the 2020-2021 school year. With guidance from the CDC, as well as the Louisiana Department of Education and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, NPSB has announced the acceptable face coverings for the upcoming school year.

NPSB highly recommends masks as the most effective facial covering for students and faculty. However, many questions have been asked about whether or not “neck gaiters” would be an alternative for masks. According to the CDC, it has yet to be proven if neck gaiters provide any benefit as source control to protect individuals from the spread of respiratory particles. 

NPSB will not recommend neck gaiters as a substitute for cloth facial coverings. Neck gaiters may only be used by a student or faculty member until an appropriate face covering can be secured. NPSB also states that face shields may be used as an alternative for masks, only if the individual has a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask.

More information regarding the proper guidelines of facial coverings and other protective measures can be found in the NPSB Strong Start F.A.Q. located on the district’s website at https://npsb.la/strong-start-2020.

About Natchitoches Parish School Board

The Natchitoches Parish School Board meets the challenges required to raise academic standards and positively impact student achievement throughout all of Natchitoches Parish. We are committed to a policy of educating children by helping them to develop an awareness and appreciation for the achievements, problems and aspirations of all people in our culturally diverse society.

Gov. John Bel Edwards signed an order that extends Phase Two and the statewide mask mandate, closure of bars to on-site consumption and gathering size limits in Louisiana for another two weeks, until September 11, 2020. Despite progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the state, The White House Coronavirus Task Force still has Louisiana in the red zone for new cases, just as schools and colleges return to campus and Hurricane Laura is set to impact the state. Further, almost half of the state’s parishes have positivity rates in excess of 10 percent.

The Governor’s current order expires on Friday, August 28. He signed a new order today.

“Louisiana has seen improvement in slowing the spread of COVID-19, and this would not be possible without the hard work of the people of Louisiana who have faithfully followed the mitigation measures, including wearing their masks when in public,” Gov. Edwards said. “While we have seen drops in hospitalizations and new COVID-19 cases, we also know that we have more people moving around because of schools and colleges going back to in-person classes, which is one of the reasons we will stay in Phase 2 for another two weeks. The White House Coronavirus Task Force also continues to recommend that Louisiana keep its current mitigation measures in place, as Louisiana remains in the red zone for new cases and many of our parishes continue to have testing positivity rates higher than 10 percent.

Just this week, I had a conversation with Dr. Deborah Birx, who is coordinating the response for the White House, and she noted Louisiana’s improvement, but also recommended that we keep the current measures in place until we get positivity, cases and hospitalizations even lower. In addition, Hurricane Laura has caused Louisiana to pause its testing, which means that we will be flying blind with data for a couple of weeks when we need it the most to gauge the impact of resuming K-12 schools and higher education. Finally, tens of thousands of our neighbors from southwestern Louisiana, the area with the highest priority, ahead of Hurricane Laura’s landfall, and there will be additional sheltering after the storm – perhaps for an extended period of time. Extending Phase 2 until September 11 will allow us time to restart our testing and assess where we are after the storm.”

The City of Natchitoches has experienced a water system failure along the I-49 corridor. At this time, residents without water will be able to obtain water through a source provided by the City’s Utility Department at Natchitoches Central High School. The water filling station is located inside the north gate near the softball fields. Residents must provide their own containers as we are unable to provide those at this time.

Any one in District Two of Natchitoches Parish can call Patsy ward Hoover for non threatening issues.

I am in direct contact with the Highway Department, Chairman of the Council and also our State Police Jury Association director. We are working to assist you .

Thank you to everyone who is helping neighborhoods. We are all in this together.

I can be reached at 318-527-9294

Aug. 28, 2020 (11 a.m.) – Cleco has restored power to 43,550 customers. As of 11 a.m., approximately 96,450 customers are without power.

“We’re asking customers to please be patient, as we’re are moving as quickly and safely as we can to get everyone back on,” said James Lass, director of distribution operations and emergency management. “Being that the storm has fully passed, and we have a full day to work, we expect to make more progress today.”

Key points on Hurricane Laura:

Strongest storm to hit Louisiana since 1856

Hard hit parishes were Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Grant, Rapides and Vernon

Damage to transmission infrastructure must be repaired first

Uprooted trees; these trees fell on power lines; these lines have to be picked up Knocked down electric poles; these poles must be changed out; this takes time

More than 2,000 individuals working (this includes regular employees, distribution contractors, vegetation specialists and transmission contractors)

Cleco serves a lot of heavily wooded, rural areas; it takes more time to get these areas back up

Below is an overview of how Cleco restores power after a storm:

Safety is a priority in everything Cleco does. Once conditions are safe, workers begin to access damage by land and/or air.

Next, transmission lines are inspected and repaired. These lines are critical because they carry electricity from the power plants. Once transmission lines are repaired, workers begin repairing distribution lines. These are the lines that carry power to homes and businesses.

Power is then restored to critical community services first, such as nursing homes, hospitals, police departments, etc.

Power is then restored to the greatest number of customers in the shortest amount of time until power is restored to all customers who can receive power.

NPSB School Update from Superintendent Grant Eloi

“The Natchitoches Parish School Board’s thoughts and prayers are with our entire community and state. We are thankful that none of our schools received major damage. As you all know, the vast majority of the parish is without power and will continue to be without power for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, many of our rural roads are not passable by vehicle, let alone by bus. Currently our priority is the safety of our students, staff, parish and residents. The school board had planned for a soft start this week in which students only attended one day of school. We are cancelling the soft start and are currently considering a September 8th full start of school. This date is our target but will be largely dependent upon the changing status of the parish’s power situation. All offices will reopen as soon as power is restored. We know that school is important but the safety of all community members is paramount. This is a time where #TogetherWeCan means more than ever.”

-Superintendent, Grant Eloi

BOIL ADVISORY
Natchitoches Water System
PWS ID# 1069007
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana

Date: August 28, 2020
For Immediate Release

I-49 Corridor Extending to Highway 6 West and Old Highway 6within the City of Natchitoches Distribution System did experience a low pressure problem on August 27, 2020. This drop in system pressure below 20 pounds has been caused by a water leak in which the water supply had to be shut off for a period of time.

Because of this drop in system pressure, the water within our water distribution system is of questionable microbiological quality.

Therefore, as a precaution, the City of Natchitoches Distribution System is issuing a BOIL ADVISORY effective immediately for I-49 Corridor extending to Highway 6 and Old Highway 6.  This BOIL ADVISORY is to remain in effect until rescinded by the Water System.

It is recommended that all consumers in the area mentioned abovedisinfect their water before consuming it (including fountain drinks), making ice, brushing teeth, or using it for food preparation or rinsing of foods by the following means:

Boil water for one (1) full minute in a clean container.  The one minute starts after the water has been brought to a rolling boil.  (The flat taste can be eliminated by shaking the water in a clean bottle or pouring it from one clean container to another, or by adding a pinch of salt to each quart of water that is boiled.)

Again, please be sure to disinfect your own water prior to consumption until you have been advised otherwise.

This Boil advisory does not affect the remainder City of Natchitoches Water Distribution System.

Banks:
BOM and BOMF – Open (Some may be delayed )(University Drive – CLOSED)
City Bank & Trust – Closed
Exchange Bank – Closed

Utility Compaines:
City of Natchitoches – 5 to 7 Days
SWEPCO – September 3, 2020 by 10pm
CLECO – 4 days to 7 days.
* These estimates were provided by the companies as of 7pm, Thursday, August 27, 2020 and are subject to change.  These timeframes were reported as a “large” percentage of service restored and NOT fully restored

CLECO – Power outages as of 8 a.m, Friday, August 28, 2020
Acadia – 2,800
Allen – 5,900
Avoyelles – 5,500
Beauregard – 5,100
Calcasieu – 2,500
Catahoula – 18
Desoto – 1,600
Evangeline – 6,800
Grant – 7,400
Iberia – 3,500
Jefferson Davis – 39
Lasalle – 15
Natchitoches – 640
Rapides – 41,000
Sabine – 6,300
St. Landry – 3,400

Internet/Cable TV:
Suddenlink: No – return call
CP-Tel/Epic-Touch – No Update

Road condition update:
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development advises motorists that multiple roads in District 08 (Central LA Region) remain obstructed this evening due to downed trees, debris, and power lines as a result of Hurricane Laura.

All affected roads in Avoyelles Parish have been cleared and reopened but the remaining Parishes (Rapides, Natchitoches, Sabine, Grant, Vernon and Winn) all have numerous state highways with debris accumulated.

For information concerning a certain road –  Call 511 or visit www.511la.org

Grocery Stores:
Super 1 Foods – Open/Delayed Opening
Wal-Mart – No Update
People’s Food Warehouse – No Update

Schools:
Natchitoches Parish Schools – Closed today
Northwestern State University – Closed today
CLTCC – Closed today
LSUA – Closed today and Monday
St. Mary’s – Closed today and Monday

Gyms:
Natchitoches Flipping Athletics – Closed

Government Offices:
Natchitoches Parish Office of Community Services – Closed
Natchitoches Parish Courthouse – Closed
Clerk of Court – Closed/Power Outage
City Offices – Closed
State Offices – Most Closed

Attractions:
Cane River Creole National Historical Park – Closed
Louisiana Sport Hall of Fame – Closed

Communications Companies
Radio/TV/Newspaper – as power permits

If you would like to have a business or be included in the list, please email details to  NPJNatLa@gmail.com

Hurricane Laura smashed into the City of Natchitoches on August 27, 2020.  Here are some of the damages done to the City Power Lines/Poles and some damaged structures.   It was reported that Hurricane Laura was Category 2 when it arrived in Natchitoches Parish.

UPDATED: 9:29am
https://natchitochesparishjournal.com/2020/08/28/updated-power-restoration-closings/


Utility Compaines:
City of Natchitoches – 5 to 7 Days
SWEPCO – September 3, 2020 by 10pm
CLECO – 4 days to 7 days.
* These estimates were provided by the companies as of 7pm, Thursday, August 27, 2020 and are subject to change.  These timeframes were reported as a “large” percentage of service restored and NOT fully restored

Internet/Cable TV:
Suddenlink: No – return call
CP-Tel/Epic-Touch – No Update

Road condition update:
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development advises motorists that multiple roads in District 08 (Central LA Region) remain obstructed this evening due to downed trees, debris, and power lines as a result of Hurricane Laura.

All affected roads in Avoyelles Parish have been cleared and reopened but the remaining Parishes (Rapides, Natchitoches, Sabine, Grant, Vernon and Winn) all have numerous state highways with debris accumulated.

For information concerning a certain road –  Call 511 or visit www.511la.org

Grocery Stores:
Super 1 Foods – Open/Delayed Opening
Wal-Mart – No Update
People’s Food Warehouse – No Update

Schools:
Natchitoches Parish Schools – Closed today
Northwestern State University – Closed today
CLTCC – Closed today
LSUA – Closed today and Monday

Government Offices:
Natchitoches Parish Office of Community Services – Closed
Natchitoches Parish Courthouse – Closed
Clerk of Court – Closed/Power Outage
City Offices – Closed
State Offices – Most Closed

Attractions:
Cane River Creole National Historical Park – Closed

Communications Companies
Radio/TV/Newspaper – as power permits

If you would like to have a business or be included in the list, please email details to  NPJNatLa@gmail.com

City Utility workers are isolating downed power lines and poles so they can be ready to reenergize when it’s electricity provider CLECO comes back online. So far 50% of the City’s main circuits have been prepared and are ready to be energized, but everything is dead in the water until CLECO’s generation plant comes back online.

There are 41 transmission lines down in CLECO’s system, which can each be a hundred miles long. They’re working on the problem but the City has received no estimated time of when power will be restored. City crews have over 50 broken poles. They’re contracting with a crew out of Oklahoma called Mid-Con Energy Partners. Twenty-two men were sent with 9 big trucks. They’re currently working on Hwy. 1 South where 31 poles were snapped, in a row. Electric Department Supervisor Lee McKinney said crews are working 16 hour days to do everything they can to restore power to residents as soon as possible.

SWEPCO is also having issues supplying power, so there’s no supply going to the main sewer plant on Red River. As of 6 am on Aug. 27 there were 10,000 customers out in Natchitoches Parish and counting.

The intense winds and driving rains of Hurricane Laura shoved trees, utility poles and wires to the ground, leaving 94% of Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) customers in eight central Louisiana parishes without power.

At 5 p.m. on Aug. 27, with restoration in progress, 41,000 customers in DeSoto, Bienville, Grant, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, Winn and Vernon parishes remained without power.

In total, approximately 128,000 customers were without power, including 79,000 in the Shreveport-Bossier area, 8,100 in Texas and 400 in Arkansas.

“We have 2,500 workers coming to help more than 300 SWEPCO employees restore power. All external crews are assigned to help our customers in Louisiana,” said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Distribution Region Operations. “Our Texas-based crews are restoring power to customers in Center, Carthage and other areas in the state hit hard by the storm. Once they complete their work in Texas, they’ll begin working in Louisiana.”

“We expect it will take several days to restore power,” Seidel said.

Customers without power who are on life support systems or need uninterrupted electric service for health reasons should make alternate arrangements.

Hurricane Laura smashed into SWEPCO’s Valley District this morning as a Category 2 hurricane with 100 mph maximum sustained winds. It continued through northwest Louisiana and southwest Arkansas as a Category 1 hurricane and tropical storm.

At the peak, 136,000 SWEPCO customers in Louisiana and East Texas were without power.

A soon as it was safe, SWEPCO crews began restoring power to several critical customers in the Ark-La-Tex. Employees are addressing hazards, including hundreds of downed power lines.

“All downed lines should be considered energized and dangerous,” Seidel said. “Don’t touch anything in contact with the line, such as trees, fences or puddles of water, since they can conduct electricity.”

By dark, SWEPCO’s outage response team will have a high-level assessment of the damage caused by Hurricane Laura.

“We’ll begin a detailed assessment of the damage first thing tomorrow morning. This will be critical in determining how long it will take us to restore power,” Seidel said.

“The quickest way to get updates on your outage is to sign up for email or text alerts at SWEPCO.com/Alerts,” said Carey Sullivan, SWEPCO director of Communications. “You’ll receive information as soon as we have it in our system.”

POSITION: Natchitoches Events Center – General Manager

DESCRIPTION: Directs the day to day operations of the Events Center including development, programming, financial management, marketing, operations and community relations for the facility.

QUALIFICATIONS: Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications or related field. Prior experience in a related field is preferred.

CONTACT: City of Natchitoches, Human Resources Department located at 1400 Sabine Street, or P.O. Box 37, Natchitoches, LA 71458-0037. Applications may also be picked up upstairs at City hall, located at 700 Second St., or you may download an application on line at http://www.natchitochesla.gov

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Applications will be accepted Through: September 8, 2020

THE CITY OF NATCHITOCHES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.