Wednesday, September 2, 2020
IMPORTANT FEMA UPDATE: Sabine Parish residents have now been approved by FEMA to receive individual assistance. Please click on following link to learn more:
“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,” says Gov. John Bel Edwards’ announcement.
“We thank God that no one was lost in the storm,” said Mayor Ken Freeman in response to Hurricane Laura’s impact on Many. “We are also grateful that the City’s generators came on and we were able to keep water and sewage service going to our citizens. Now comes the task ahead of cleaning up, and repairing our properties,” he said.
Hurricane Laura tied the 1856 Last Island Hurricane in estimated wind speeds as the strongest to hit Southwest Louisiana to date.
It made landfall in Cameron as a Category 4 with 150 mph winds at 1 a.m. on Thursday.
By 4 a.m. Sabine Parish was feeling Laura’s intensity, which brought winds across this area of 75 mph, according to Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director David Davis.
Several Sabine Parish residents stayed on social media during the storm’s most active destruction here, reporting howling winds and crashing trees.
Daylight revealed hundreds of downed trees, some on homes unfortunately, many on power lines and across highways, roads and streets.
“City crews will be out picking up debris that our citizens place by the road,” Mayor Freeman said. “City employees are also resourcing what assistance FEMA will provide Sabine citizens. Watch our web page and Facebook page for more information,” he advised.
Kudos to the Town of Many for posting immediate social media power restoration updates from Cleco and Swepco as soon as received, and for having City crews help as many people as possible following the disaster.
More kudos to the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office for their preparedness before the hurricane and long hours spent serving Sabine during and after the storm.
“We did everything possible as far as preparations,” Chief Deputy Brad Walker reported. “Communications went well with David Davis. We were able to get fuel reserved for the Sheriff’s office and for other first responders, and we activated all off duty officers to be available during the storm,” Walker said.
The local Homeland Security office also provided power generators to the Sabine Courthouse, which allowed the Sheriff’s Office to fully respond as needed during and after the hurricane.
“Sheriff Aaron Mitchell stayed in the office working all day before the hurricane hit, as did I,” Walker shared, “We both spent the night there, and stayed all of the following day as well.”
Cleco reported 6,636 outages in Sabine Parish following the hurricane. By 8 a.m. Saturday, Cleco reported it had restored power to over 40% of its 140,000 customers who experienced outages and by 5 p.m. on Saturday, Cleco reported 70% of their Many customers had power. Except for isolated exceptions, the other 30% had their power restored on Sunday.
On Saturday, Swepco reported it had 39,000 customers in their Valley District, including Natchitoches, Hornbeck, Mansfield and Logansport, without power.
While power outages were ongoing, in addition to their normal duties, the Sheriff’s Office performed dozens of welfare checks across the parish, taking water and ice to many elderly citizens whose family members called the sheriff concerned about a loved one.
Despite damages to one dorm at the Sabine Detention Center, and damage to the Criminal Investigation Division building, two inmate crews worked tirelessly for three days clearing fallen trees from roads and right of ways across the parish.
“The Police Jury and Sheriff’s Office worked together to get roads cleared, and the inmate crews did a great job,” Walker shared. “They did everything they were asked to do.”
As of 6 p.m. on Monday, Cleco and contractor crews had restored power to over 87,000 or 62% of their 140,000 customers affected by Hurricane Laura. At that time, Sabine Parish still had 3,066 Cleco customers without power.
The Swepco work force has restored power to approximately 98,500 customers or 72% of the 136,000 customers who lost power in the wake of the hurricane.
Swepco estimated that power in the Hornbeck and Natchitoches regions would be restored by 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3.
It should also be noted that many residents of Southwest Louisiana keep camps on Toledo Bend Lake, so when a hurricane hits, those visitors swell the Sabine Parish population from its normal size of 25,000 to about 50,000, doubling normal residency.
That our parish towns, Sheriff’s Office and other first responders continue to fully serve these added people with resources designed to serve only half that many, speaks volumes about the care and dedication of local officials and responders.
Shared on social media by our friend, Tonia Bridges:
“I’m just putting this out there…take it how you want!! I’m certain I saw people asking for help to wash the linemen’s clothes. I saw people volunteering left and right. Not one single person asked if that lineman was Black or White or Indian or Mexican or any other race. They instead said ‘I’ll be right there or I’m coming.’ This is the America I know and LOVE!!!“ – Natalie Neugent, Noble, LA
Local and visiting linemen are working long days to get power on for the remainder who do not have it, and we appreciate their hard work to serve the people of this region.
Baldridge Dumas Communications has partial operations running despite ongoing power outages in some broadcast areas.
Head man Tedd Dumas said, “We are getting close to getting everything restored and power back on.”
As of Tuesday at noon, KTHP and KTEZ were fully functional, but KWLV, KZBL and KBDH were still experiencing periodic outages. Due to widespread power outages in Vernon, Beauregard and Winn Parishes, KWLA, KBDV and KVCL remain black for now.
Observations has already heard from Sabine listeners who are thrilled they can tune in again to their favorite BDC stations.
We have seen photos of the destruction wreaked by Hurricane Laura in Southwest Louisiana, and it looks like a war zone down there.
Our hearts and prayers go out to every family, business, church and organization affected. We will do our best to share donation and other helpful information as it becomes available. We know many here will want to help in any way possible.
As most of you may know, I tested positive for the coronavirus on Aug. 22. I’ve had my ups and I’ve had my downs, I’ve had the good and I’ve had the bad, but I think overall I’m on the road to recovery. Thanks to everyone for their messages and phone calls of encouragement. And thanks to my great nurse Laurie for all her efforts.
My grandson Jayden Gentry, age 14 and formerly of Many, recently enjoyed a very special opportunity when he was selected to receive a skateboarding scholarship to Camp Woodward, located in Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Jayden began skateboarding around his house and neighborhood when he was just a little guy and he and mom Jody still lived in Louisiana. But when they moved to Tega Cay, SC in April 2018, his passion for it really grew. He found a lot of joy in riding his board as he discovered his new hometown.
Always agile, he seemed a natural for the sport, and after settling in South Carolina, he soon began watching YouTube videos for inspiration to master his talent.
One channel he often watched was Camp Woodward, a world-class destination in central Pennsylvania offering summer camps and weekend retreats for skateboarding, BMX, gymnastics, cheer, mountain bike, scooter and more.
Jayden spent hours watching skateboarding pros master tricks, and he worked his hardest to mimic them. For the next two years, he spent thousands of hours practicing his skills at skate parks throughout the Charlotte, NC area, which is about a half-hour from his home.
In March of this year, he applied for a scholarship to Camp Woodward and was awarded a large scholarship to attend camp there on Aug. 16-22.
“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity where Jayden learned new skills and made lifelong friends,” his mother said afterward. “He plans to attend again next year, and in the meanwhile, master what he has learned,” she shared.
At the camp Jayden received a Certificate of Excellence for his skills and overall improvement.
He appreciates the support of his family and special mentor, Patrick, of Rock Hill, SC.
This funny meme, poor grammar and all, made the local rounds during the hurricane. We heard it told that Laura slowed down to 35 mph in downtown Robeline. Smart girl.
It has come to our attention that some insurance companies will cover loss of food (such as results from power outages to refrigerators and freezers.)
If you lost food due to the hurricane, be sure to ask your agent if your policy covers that replacement cost.
Overheard:
“While we train the police to better enforce the law, why don’t parents better train their kids to obey the law? It just might help.”
HAPPY LABOR DAY
“You get what you work for, not what you wish for.” – Anonymous. Wise words.
Labor Day is upcoming this Monday, Sept. 7, and it pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. The hardworking men and women of this country certainly deserve a holiday, and we hope yours is blessed by spending time with those you love best.
And remember always, “Hard work beats talent, especially if talent doesn’t work hard.”
That is all for this first Wednesday in September. Thank you for faithfully reading. I welcome your ideas and suggestions for future articles. Send an email to robertrgentry@gmail.com or call (318) 332-8653. To save, send or print today’s column, click on the appropriate icon below. To read Observations of the last few years, follow the pages below. To see older ones, visit our Facebook page.
-30-
