Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) continues to add crews, equipment and materials to its recovery effort in the Central Louisiana areas damaged most heavily by Hurricane Laura.

“Extensive flooding, heavy tree damage, difficult access and many other challenges make power restoration in Hornbeck, Natchitoches and the many surrounding communities especially challenging,” said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Distribution Region Operations. “Based on additional damage assessment and what our crews are seeing in the repair work they have already completed, we are extending the estimated time of restoration for the Hornbeck area to 10 p.m. Sunday. Many customers will be back on before then, but we want customers to be prepared for the possibility of a longer outage.”

SWEPCO has restored power to 13 of the 20 substations knocked out by the hurricane. “We are making good progress on the remaining seven stations, which include several points where we are connected to the Entergy and Cleco systems,” Seidel said. “We’re aware of some public concern that this may delay their power restoration, but we are rebuilding our system and working closely with Entergy and Cleco to get as many customers restored as quickly as possible. Other than Hornbeck, we have not changed our estimated times of restoration.”

As work has wrapped up in Northwest Louisiana, crews are moving to join those already deployed in Central Louisiana. An additional base camp has opened in Natchitoches to support operations in Hornbeck and Natchitoches.

As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, about 29,000 customers in Central Louisiana remained without power, along with 400 in the Shreveport-Bossier area.

SWEPCO’s workforce has restored power to more than 106,000 customers, or about 78% of the 136,000 customers who lost power in the wake of Hurricane Laura.

Estimated Times of Restoration

Power will be restored to 95% of customers in cities and surrounding areas before the estimates below. Your power may be restored sooner.

· Shreveport – 10 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 1

· Mansfield – 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1

· Natchitoches – 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3

· Hornbeck – 10 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 6

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

Louisiana residents can call 211 to find cooling centers and other assistance.

Working Safely

· Workers are practicing social distancing and other measures to stay healthy and prevent the spread of coronavirus, making the recovery effort especially challenging.

· Maintain at least six feet of physical distance between yourself and SWEPCO field personnel as we all play a crucial role in preventing the spread of coronavirus.

· Also, be careful when driving or walking in all utility crew work zones.

Public Safety

· Downed power lines – Never touch a downed utility wire, no matter how harmless it looks. It can be difficult to distinguish between a power line and a cable or telephone line. All downed lines should be considered energized and dangerous. And don’t touch anything in contact with the line, such as trees, fences or puddles of water, since they can conduct electricity. Keep children and pets away from this potential hazard. Call SWEPCO to report any downed lines or equipment.

· Portable generators – If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box. Portable generators “backfeed” electricity up the line and risk the lives of repair workers and the public. Follow the manufacturers’ instructions carefully, and plug essential appliances directly into the generator.

When to Call an Electrician

· SWEPCO cannot connect power to a home or business if there is damage to the service entrance, which is owned by the customer.

· Customers need to have a qualified electrician repair this damage before power can be restored. The service entrance includes the metal box housing SWEPCO’s meter, the “weatherhead” pipe on top of the meter box, the service entrance cables running from the weatherhead through the meter box to the inside panel box, and other related facilities. Similar responsibilities apply to underground service.

· After repairs are made, contact SWEPCO to have power restored.

On Tuesday, our utility crews had some setbacks across the city in restoring power, but have continued to restore more customers throughout the day. If power has been restored to your area and you experience a new outage, please let us know.

Samples were sent to the lab today in reference to the Boil Advisory for the I-49 Corridor. We expect to have those results tomorrow and hoping to be able to rescind the advisory.

Additionally, our areas continues to experience heat index values between 100 and 110 degrees, making heat-related illnesses for those spending time outdoors or without air conditioning more likely. Please continue to check on your friends, relatives and neighbors who do not have power during this time and be mindful of these temperatures if you are working to clear debris of your property.

By Brad Dison

The brutal unsolved murders by the individual commonly referred to as Jack the Ripper is one of the most famous criminal cases in history. In 1888, Jack the Ripper violently murdered at least five women in London’s Whitechapel district. Some authors claim there were many more victims, several even speculate on the real identity of the murderer. However, the case remains unsolved.

Since his horrifying murder spree, newspapers columnists have used the name Jack as a place name whenever the culprit of a crime was unknown. There have been many bad Jacks such as “Jack the Kisser,” a man who kissed unwilling women, “Jack the Peeper,” what we now call a “Peeping Tom,” “Jack the Smasher,” who broke into homes and destroyed everything within without taking a single item. One irritated newspaper columnist argued that “the ‘Jack’ business has become a fad among the vicious and nothing short of a few doses of cold lead will cure it.”

There was another Jack, who had his own unique crime spree. Unlike Jack the Ripper, our Jack struck in broad daylight rather than at night. Like Jack the Ripper, our Jack attacked and disappeared seemingly without a trace. Jack the Ripper’s murder spree, by most accounts, only lasted a few weeks and occurred within a small geographic region. Our Jack victimized girls in multiple cities and in multiple states. The first reports of our Jack were in Brooklyn, New York.

On Thursday morning, January 8, 1891, Miss Lulu Hewittwalked the several blocks from her home on Schermerhorn Street to her school at the corner of 3rd Avenue and State Street in Brooklyn. During her walk, Lulu felt something cold touch her neck, but thought little of it since it was a cold morning. When she arrived at school, her friends pointed out that something of hers was missing. She remembered that a man, whom she was unable to describe except that he was tall and slim, had passed unusually close to her while she was walking.

A week later, January 15, a young girl named Mamie McMurray peered into a store window on Grand Street. After a few minutes, she realized something of hers was missing. Mamie was focused on the items displayed in the shop’s window and failed to notice anyone approach her. She looked around but saw nothing and no one unusual.

On January 20, two young girls, Eva Whitehead and Nellie Kaiser, left their school at noon to visit Eva’s aunt’s home for lunch. Eva’s aunt lived just a few houses down from the school. In the middle of a crosswalk, Eva felt a slight tug and thought something had gotten caught on one of her jacket’s buttons. She adjusted her jacket and continued to her aunt’s home. When she and Nellie arrived, Eva’s aunt pointed out something was out of place. Only then did Eva realize someone had tried to steal something from her. Jack had failed this time. Eva remembered that a tall, slim man had brushed close by her side in the crosswalk. Nellie was unaware that anything had happened and had not noticed the man.

At about 8:30 a.m. on January 26, Gertrude Breast left her home and walked toward her school. During her walk, she noticed a man whom she had seen on several occasions. She had previously suspected that the man was watching her. As she neared her school, she noticed someone was walking unnaturally close to her. She turned and saw the man whom she had suspected of watching her. The man, armed with a large knife or a pair of scissors, grabbed the object of his obsession, cut it free, and quickly walked away. Gertrude was in shock. She was the first to give a proper description to police. She said the man was “about 30 years of age, 5 feet 8 inches, medium build, light mustache, black derby hat, blue pea jacket.” Even with Gertrude’s description, police were unable to locate a suspect.

At first, police doubted that the attacks had taken place. However, three young boys had seen Gertrude’s attacker, armed as Gertrude had described, just before the attack. During their investigation, police learned of other girls who had been Jack’s victims. In the Summer of 1890, Florence Billings had an almost identical encounter with Jack. Unlike Gertrude, she was unable to provide a description of Jack.

Jack seemed to disappear for a while. He, or most likely a copycat, began his dastardly deeds again in 1914, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This Jack used the darkness of “5 and 10 cent ‘movie’ theaters” to commit his crimes. Jack sat in theaters and watched as the crowd entered and took their seats. Then, he selected his victims and calmly sat directly behind them. Only after the film ended would the girls realize that they had been victimized. These incidents became so frequent that movie theaters in the region began showing warnings on their movie screens before the feature presentation.

Although Jack put a cold blade next to the throats and necks of numerous young girls, he was no murderer. Jack never physically harmed his victims. Most of them only realized they had been victimized well after the attack had taken place. Incidents such as these occurred in multiple cities in the United States. Many more cases certainly occurred but were never reported to police or printed in newspapers. Jack had a condition known as trichophilia. Jack’s obsession was cutting and collecting long braided hair. Because of his infatuation, newspapers dubbed him “Jack the Snipper.”

Sources:
1. Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express, February 20, 1889, p.4.
2. The Brooklyn Citizen, January 21, 1891, p.1.
3. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 28, 1891, p.6.
4. The Hope Pioneer (Hope, North Dakota), April 22, 1892, p.2.
5. The Des Moines Register, June 5, 1905, p.5.
6. The Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1914, p.13.
7. The Sacramento Star, April 28, 1914, p.8.
8. The Ottawa Citizen, January 3, 1947, p.21.
9. The News (Paterson, New Jersey), January 22, 1947, p.30.
10. The Birmingham News, July 27, 1947, p.10.

Baton Rouge — Gov. John Bel Edwards announces that FEMA has approved an additional seven Louisiana parishes for Individual Assistance following Hurricane Laura, bringing the total number of parishes where residents are eligible for aid to 16. The newly approved parishes are Rapides, Natchitoches, Sabine, Winn, Grant, Jackson and Lincoln.

“These parishes were affected when Hurricane Laura made its way up our state, keeping its hurricane-strength winds until it exited. These residents should begin applying for aid from FEMA now. More than 71,000 Louisianans have already applied for FEMA Individual Assistance following Hurricane Laura,” Gov. Edwards said. “We continue to make the case for the additional parishes to be approved because of the severity of this terrible storm.”

Hurricane Laura made landfall on Louisiana’s coast on Thursday, August 27. Gov. Edwards’ request for a Major Disaster Declaration was approved on Friday, August 28. In his request, the Governor requested Individual Assistance, which is for people who suffered damage in the storm, for those affected in 23 parishes total. So far, FEMA has approved IA for 16 parishes.

Federal FEMA assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans for uninsured property loss and other programs to help people and businesses recover from Hurricane Laura.

People who sustained losses in Hurricane Laura in the designated parishes of Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis, Ouachita, Vermilion, Vernon, Rapides, Natchitoches, Sabine, Winn, Grant, Jackson and Lincoln can begin applying for assistance today by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

More than 10,000 Louisianans are sheltered in state, with thousands more in Texas hotels as well. If you need shelter, text LASHELTER to 898-211 for information about where to go or call 211.

Even with a global pandemic and one of the worst hurricanes to hit the United States since the 1850s…our team of associates and medical staff at NRMC never missed a beat!

THANK YOU for your amazing selfless service.

The main hospital returned to full electrical services. All equipment and instrumentation are in full operation. Our generators and back up systems worked flawlessly just as we have drilled continously monthly and year after year to prepare for just such a catrophic event.

Although we will continue to experience community hardship for the unforeseeable future, all in all we were spared the devastation of our southern parishes.

The OR TEAM is capable of performing surgery. All elective cases started on Monday, August 31, 2020.

The walk-in-clinic at 740 Keyser is open for normal operations daily from 8am to 8pm.

The Coutryard of Natchitoches is under normal operations.

Our assisted living remains on emergency power at the moment.

EMS rolled during the entire event as they do 365 days a year.

For questions or comments please go to our website at www.nrmchospital.org

Be safe! Stay connected. Check on your neighbors.

Remember we remain in Phase II. Masking is required in public.

Kirk Soileau, MHA, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer
Natchitoches Regional Medical Center
504.957.3781 Mobile
318.214.4512 Office
318.214.4354 Fax
Theresa Thompson, Executive Assistant 318.214.4409

Nearly 200 SWEPCO employees stay in LSMSA dorm while restoring parish electricity

The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) is providing temporary housing for nearly 200 Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) lineworkers from across the nation who are helping restore electricity to Natchitoches Parish following Hurricane Laura. At the peak of the storm Thursday, 136,000 Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas residents were without power.

“We’re so grateful to these workers for putting themselves in dangerous situations so we can have cold air conditioning and hot coffee,” said LSMSA Executive Director Dr. Steve Horton. “Offering a place for them to get a good night’s sleep while they’re away from their families is the least we can do to help.”

Longtime LSMSA employee Henry Llorence quickly handled logistics for LSMSA’s Caddo dormitory to accommodate workers, and SWEPCO is providing food, laundry and cleaning during their stay as well as sanitation services for the dorm.

Photo: SWEPCO sets up food stations outside of LSMSA’s dorm as workers restore electricity to Natchitoches Parish.

United Way of Northwest Louisiana is currently accepting Letters of Intent for its 2021-2022 competitive grant cycle.

The Letter of Intent, the first phase of the application process, is now available at http://www.unitedwaynwla.org/about-us/grant-opportunities and due on September 4. Applicants that meet the required criteria will be invited to submit a full application, which is due November 15.

“This is a critical time for so many, including the nonprofit organizations serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Jennifer Horton, Vice President of operations and Community Investments. “It is our hope that this grant application process will provide critical relief to our community partners.”

Any 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, Webster, and Winn Parishes may apply for funding. The organization or proposed program must align with one of the following United Way funding priority areas: Health, Education, Financial Stability, or Essential Needs.

United Way’s competitive grant cycle has two stages: The Letter of Intent and then a full proposal. Letters of Intent are used by United Way as a screening to determine whether the applicant is proposing a project or program that meets the general funding priorities of United Way. Successful applicants are then invited to Stage 2.

For further information on the process and eligibility guidelines, contact Jennifer Horton at (318) 606-6592.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will have available a lease field near Boyce in Rapides Parish for the opening day of dove hunting season on Saturday (Sept. 5) along with several LDWF Wildlife Management Area (WMA) dove fields.

Permits will be issued at 10 a.m. on Saturday (Sept. 5) at the Boyce lease field with shooting hours beginning at noon. The Boyce lease field, located on Louisiana Highway 8, 1.25 miles north of Boyce bridge, offers 70 acres of harvested corn on which to hunt. ATVs are not allowed, but retrieving dogs are permitted.

All hunters will need a permit, which is $10 for those 18 and older. The permit for hunters under 18 years of age is free. Only non-toxic shot size 6 and smaller may be used. No lead shot is to be used.

The dove lease field hunt in DeRidder will not be held this year due to Hurricane Laura.

Contact Cliff Dailey at 318-487-5885 or cdailey@wlf.la.govfor more information on the Boyce lease field hunt.

LDWF WMAs offering dove fields or dove hunting opportunities include Bayou Pierre, Bodcau, Boeuf, Clear Creek, Elbow Slough, Loggy Bayou, Pointe-aux-Chenes, Richard K. Yancey, Russell Sage, Sabine, Sandy Hollow, Sherburne and West Bay.

Dove season opens in Louisiana’s north and south zones on Saturday, September 5.

Call the Calcasieu Ranger District Office at 318-793-9427 for more information on hunting opportunities.

For more information, contact Dr. Jeff Duguay at 225-765-2353.

Residents in Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes are suffering unfathomable loss and devastation so Natchitoches Parish 4-H will collect supplies to take to these parishes. They need EVERYTHING! If you would like to contribute, please drop off to the 4-H office, located at 624 Second Street in Natchitoches, by Friday, Sept 4! The side door will be open for drop off! Below is a list of needed items! The office will not accept clothing, but will accept anything else! In addition to this list, they especially need water, Gatorade, non perishable food items, and canned food.

NATCHITOCHES:
Bertha Wardsworth 
August 31, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Rev. Simpson “COOTAU” Williams
September 1, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Annie Lee Petite
January 20, 1949 – August 26, 2020
Service: Saturday, September 5 at 11 am in the Jackson Square Cemetery. ALL ATTENDING MUST WEAR FACIAL MASKS AND OBSERVE SOCIAL DISTANCING.

SABINE:
Joy Dee Ferrant of Zwolle, Louisiana
July 3, 1926 – August 27, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 10 am at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

Ronald Turner Britt
December 17, 1941 – August 28, 2020
Service: Friday, September 4 at 10 am at Florien City Cemetery

WINN:
Marjorie Laverne Richards
January 28, 1929 – August 31, 2020
Service: Wednesday, September 2 at 2:30 pm in the chapel of Edmonds Funeral Home in Jonesboro

James “Jim” Thomas Quitta
October 29, 1931 – August 30, 2020
Service: Wednesday, September 2 at 10 am at Garden of Memories in Winnfield

RAPIDES:
Walker Rayce Young
August 29, 2020 – August 29, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Molly Paul Hite
July 02, 1940 – August 28, 2020
Service: Thursday, September 3 at 2 pm at First Baptist Church

A dedicated group of community minded men and women spent a busy day at the Natchitoches Events Center Monday, August 31 distributing water, food and other items such as diapers and baby food to over 350 carloads of citizens.

The items were donated by area businesses who answered a call to action with remarkable generosity. Churches across Louisiana brought supplies to their fellow Louisianans in need. The 1 Love Church of Hawkins, Texas arrived with a semi-trailer of relief supplies. That church has a connection to Natchitoches which shows how small the world really is. The sister of Natchitoches City Marshal Randy Williams is a member. That connection resulted in a truckload of much needed supplies for our hard hit city’s residents.

Natchitoches’ newly elected mayor, Ronnie Williams, was joined by City Council members and community volunteers from NSU, Cane River National Heritage Area, Historic Downtown Business Association, Main Street, and the Chamber of Commerce, among others in passing out items. The Natchitoches Police Department and City Marshal’s Office directed traffic.

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“All classes on Northwestern State University’s main campus in Natchitoches and other sites in Shreveport, Alexandria and Leesville have been cancelled through the Labor Day holiday and will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 8. This includes all in-person and online classes. Anything course-related including, but not limited to, due dates, assignments, and tests, will be adjusted. Please be patient as many instructors are without power or internet service and are unable to update their course due dates at this time.

Power has been restored on the Natchitoches campus, and offices are reopening based on the availability of personnel. A number of employees still do not have power, water and other utilities at their homes and are unable to return to work at this time.

Offices providing essential services on the Natchitoches campus are open, and operations in those areas will be expanded as additional employees return to work.

The Leesville campus is closed because of power outages, and there are curtailed operations and services in Shreveport and Alexandria because of limited personnel.

There has been substantial progress in removing downed trees and other debris from the Natchitoches campus, and those clean-up and recovery efforts are continuing. Damage to buildings on the campus was minimal.

Some internet and telephone operations have been disrupted on all university campuses, and work is progressing on restoring those services to full capacity.

The rapid restoration of power to the main campus has allowed the university to continue most operations, including residential and dining services for students. NSU is indebted to Senator Louie Bernard, Senator Jay Luneau, Senator Barry Milligan, Mayor Ronnie Williams and the City of Natchitoches, CLECO, and others for their assistance in restoring power and utilities to the campus.

NSU and the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts are providing housing and food services to SWEPCO personnel and other utility company employees who are in the area restoring power to businesses and residences. SWEPCO officials say being able to remain on-site will result in the accelerated restoration of services.

The Northwestern State University Foundation is establishing a Hurricane Relief Fund to assist students who suffered financial losses as a result of the storm. Additional information on the fund will be available on the university website this week

Students and university personnel who have specific questions or need additional information should check the university’s website, nsu.la/LauraQuestions, where there is a link to submit questions. University personnel are on site to answer questions.

University personnel who are unable to return to work at this time because of damages to their homes, power outages and similar issues should notify their supervisors.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and assistance as we address these issues. We will continue to keep you update.”

Dr. Chris Maggio
August 31, 2020

Today’s day was spent attending a briefing with the National Guard, Mayor Williams holding a press conference, and the City passing out supplies that were donated by churches in Gonzales, LA and Longview, TX along with some community partners.

Also, the City of Natchitoches is adhering to the burn ban that has been put in place by the State Fire Marshal. Due to the current weather conditions being hot and dry we are asking you not follow this guidance as well.
If you are able and have the necessary resources, please consider helping a friend, neighbor or relative by helping them clean up their property or bring them needed supplies. Our community has pulled together in this time of crisis and together we will come out stronger.

SWEPCO’s workforce has restored power to approximately 98,500 customers, or 72% of the 136,000 customers who lost power in the wake of Hurricane Laura.

As of 8 p.m. Monday, about 4,000 customers in the Shreveport-Bossier area and 33,500 in Central Louisiana remained without power.

“We are making excellent headway overall but continue to face enormous challenges, especially in the Valley District, which took the direct Category 2 hit from Hurricane Laura,” said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Distribution Operations. “Only seven of the 71 distribution circuits serving Central Louisiana survived the storm. Each of those circuits serves hundreds or thousands of customers across eight parishes. We are steadily rebuilding those facilities – hundreds of poles, cross-arms, transformers, and miles of wire.

“We are also coordinating with Cleco and Entergy, which are interconnected to our system and sustained similar damage,” Seidel said.

More than 3,000 line and tree personnel from 15 states and Canada are working to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. As work finishes in one area, crews are shifted to other areas to join those already deployed there. More crews will be joining the thousands of personnel already working in Central Louisiana.

Estimated Times of Restoration

Power will be restored to 95% of customers in cities and surrounding areas before the estimates below:

· Bossier City – 10 p.m., Monday, Aug. 31

· Haughton – 10 p.m., Monday, Aug. 31

· Shreveport – 10 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 1

· Logansport – 10 p.m., Monday, Aug. 31

· Mansfield – 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1

· Hornbeck and Natchitoches – 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3

NOTE: Some of the Natchitoches issues might be from no power being provided by ENTERGY to SWEPCO!  

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

Louisiana residents can call 211 to find cooling centers and other assistance.

Working Safely

· Workers are practicing social distancing and other measures to stay healthy and prevent the spread of coronavirus, making the recovery effort especially challenging.

· Maintain at least six feet of physical distance between yourself and SWEPCO field personnel as we all play a crucial role in preventing the spread of coronavirus.

· Also, be careful when driving or walking in all utility crew work zones.

Public Safety

· Downed power lines – Never touch a downed utility wire, no matter how harmless it looks. It can be difficult to distinguish between a power line and a cable or telephone line. All downed lines should be considered energized and dangerous. And don’t touch anything in contact with the line, such as trees, fences or puddles of water, since they can conduct electricity. Keep children and pets away from this potential hazard. Call SWEPCO to report any downed lines or equipment.

· Portable generators – If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box. Portable generators “backfeed” electricity up the line and risk the lives of repair workers and the public. Follow the manufacturers’ instructions carefully, and plug essential appliances directly into the generator.

When to Call an Electrician

· SWEPCO cannot connect power to a home or business if there is damage to the service entrance, which is owned by the customer.

· Customers need to have a qualified electrician repair this damage before power can be restored. The service entrance includes the metal box housing SWEPCO’s meter, the “weatherhead” pipe on top of the meter box, the service entrance cables running from the weatherhead through the meter box to the inside panel box, and other related facilities. Similar responsibilities apply to underground service.

· After repairs are made, contact SWEPCO to have power restored.

Over the weekend, Cane River Creole National Historical Park staff worked to clean and stabilize the park grounds after Hurricane Laura caused minimal to moderate damage throughout the park last Thursday. Initial clean-up efforts included moving downed limbs and debris to a consolidated area and pumping water out from the wood screw press located at the Magnolia Plantation.

“Overall, there was very little damage to our facilities. Most of the clean-up, and where we will need additional support, lies in removing the large downed and remaining hazard trees,” said Cane River Creole National Historical Park Superintendent Carrie Mardorf. “Overall, we were incredibly lucky to have all of our historic buildings survive the storm relatively unscathed. Our hearts go out to our partners and neighbors in the community who weren’t so fortunate.”

The power remains out at both the Oakland and Magnolia Plantations but has been restored to the Headquarters and Curation facility. Clean-up activities may be hampered until power is restored and crews arrive with additional fuel.

Additional support is needed to assist with the significant amount of downed and hazard trees. The National Park Service Arborist Incident Response team is expected to arrive on Wednesday, August 2. The 5-person crew brings sawyers to cut up the larger downed trees and limbs, a chipper for the smaller limbs and branches, trucks for hauling waste, climbers and a bucket truck to better prune the damaged trees and prolong tree life. The team will also address the damage to the historic trees.

Oakland Plantation:

Power is still out.
Initial clean-up began using two park tractors to remove debris to a temporary, consolidated area near the Seed House. Efforts are limited due to minimal fuel for the equipment until power is restored to the fuel pumps.
The corn crib floor and wood logs are air drying before a tarp is placed on the roof prior to permanent repair.

Magnolia Plantation:
Power is still out.
Water was pumped from the wood screw press foundation with a generator and bilge pump.

Downed trees blocking highway LA 119 were removed and vehicular access to the site was restored.

Headquarters/Curation:
Power is restored.
The HVAC is working and has returned the collections facility back down to 72-73 F.

For safety and health concerns park staff is working limited hours during periods of hot and humid weather until power is fully restored.

Currently, the Cane River Creole National Historical Park remains closed to the public due to safety concerns during the stabilization operations. Updates will be provided on the park website and social media platforms.

We understand how important your Suddenlink service is to keeping you connected, especially since so many of us are home due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, Hurricane Laura caused significant damage across the Gulf Coast region that resulted in widespread service disruptions.
To safely restore your service, our crews must coordinate with the power company to ensure live wires are removed prior to being able to complete repairs to our network.

Our restoration crews are working around the clock, and we appreciate your patience.

If your power is restored, but you are without your Suddenlink service, it could be because:

• You may need to restart your equipment.
o Unplug your equipment from its power source.
o Wait 30 seconds.
o Plug your equipment back into the power source.
• The power company has not yet restored the power source that feeds the Suddenlink signal in your area.
• Your connection was damaged or cut by a downed tree, utility pole, or even inadvertently by the power company or third parties during storm clean up.

You can check to see the status of any known outages in your area here and sign in with your Suddenlink ID and password.

Thanks for your patience as we work to bring everyone back online.

Banks:
BOM and BOMF – Open 
Exchange Bank – Open

Road condition update:
For information concerning a certain road –  Call 511 or visit www.511la.org

Grocery Stores:
Super 1 Foods – Open
Wal-Mart – Open

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
Registrar of Voters in Natchitoches – Closed today

Gyms:
Natchitoches Flipping Athletics – Closed

Government Offices:
Natchitoches Parish Office of Community Services – Closed
Natchitoches Vistors Center – Closed
Clerk of Court – Open

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

 

Twenty-seven soldiers from Natchitoches’ Army National Guard Unit, the A/2-108 Cav, were joined by 2 airmen from the Louisiana Air National Guard’s 159th Fighter Wing Sunday, August 30 in distributing several tractor trailer loads of ice, water and meals, ready to eat (MREs) at Lakeview High School. Deputies from the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office were also on hand.

Many parts of our parish are still without power, some rural areas have neither power nor running water due to Hurricane Laura’s damage. Louisiana’s summertime temperatures are rapidly turning this situation from an uncomfortable, to a dangerous situation. Water, ice and food that can be eaten without needing to be cooked, and that does not spoil without refrigeration, are making a real difference in the lives of our residents who are patiently awaiting the restoration of utilities.

The Natchitoches Parish Journal would like to take this opportunity to thank the citizen soldiers of the Louisiana Army and Air National Guard. In peace and in war, they and their fellow soldiers and airmen from the other states represent the best this nation has to offer. They are the kind of men and women you can rely upon. As Sir Winston Churchill said: “The reservist is twice the citizen.”

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