NEW ORLEANS – Today, June 1st, marks the beginning of hurricane season and Jefferson Parish leaders say, the community is ready.
“Every hurricane is different so don’t make the mistake of saying “well, this one was like Katrina, this one was like Harvey”‘ Director of Emergency Management, Joe Valiente said. “Realize every single hurricane has it’s own signature. Has it’s own issues. We’ve set up numerous weather stations throughout the entire parish which gives us real-time electronic information.”
They also have an altered evacuation plan. Each evacuee will be given a mask and also have their temperature taken. There will be COVID-19 compliant facilities.
“If they are asymptomatic, they will be put in one group. If they are symptomatic, they will be segregated in a separate group” Valiente said at a press conference this morning.
The Jefferson Parish President, Cynthia Lee Sheng says, according to NOAA, a well-respected hurricane source, this year, there’s a 60% chance of hurricane season being above average.
“They’re predicting this season to be 13 named storms with three to six major hurricanes” Jefferson Parish President, Cynthia Lee Sheng said.
Parish government leaders are recommending a “go-kit” which is a bag with food, lights and this year, PPE. Along with safely storing important documents. “Or have online access to them. Now’s the time to save them in a PDF form,” Sheng shared.
Residents are also encouraged to have at least two evacuation routes in advance. “Don’t put your family and your pets in harms way and wait till the last minute to evacuate,” Valiente said.
If you’re a Jefferson Parish resident and you’d like to stay informed during a storm, text J P ALERT to 888-777 for timely updates.