Mayor Landrieu, Officials Provide Update on Hurricane Harvey
Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and other officials provided an update on Tropical Storm Harvey and the city's relief efforts for those impacted in Texas and Southwest Louisiana.
According to the National Weather Service, Tropical Storm Harvey is moving north and is expected to move north-northeastward later today. While the threat of severe weather in New Orleans has reduced, a Flash Flood Watch is in still effect in the area through Thursday. Mayor Landrieu advises residents to remain vigilant and prepare for the potential of moderate and short rain events.
“I am grateful for the incredible sacrifice and hard work of our local, state and federal employees and partners for ensuring our preparation during the threat of Hurricane Harvey,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “As we remember the tough times of Hurricane Katrina, we continue to pray for those affected by the hurricane in Texas and Southwest Louisiana. Many New Orleanians are mobilizing to ensure we return the generous support given to us in our time of need. New Orleans is also excited to join our hospitality leaders in hosting a great Labor Day Weekend full of events for residents and visitors."
City’s Preparations for Holiday Weekend Events
New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness along with the City’s public safety agencies are preparing for a weekend full of events including the 2017 Southern Decadence. The City is also excited to host the Louisiana State University vs. Brigham-Young University football game that was relocated due to Hurricane Harvey. Proceeds from the football game will benefit Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. In preparation for these large events, the New Orleans Police Department will be complemented by officers from the Louisiana State Police as well as officers from other public safety agencies. The New Orleans Fire Department and New Orleans Emergency Medical Services will also have all hands on deck to provide public safety and be ready to respond in the event of an emergency.
How New Orleans is Helping Those Impacted by Hurricane Harvey
On Monday, Aug. 28, Mayor Landrieu, in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation, reactivated the NOLA Pay it Forward Fund to provide support to impacted areas in Texas and Southwest Louisiana. The funds raised will help support the deployment and operations of local non-profits conducting volunteer relief efforts. Most recently, in August 2016, the NOLA Pay it Forward Fund raised $250,000 following the major flooding in Baton Rouge. The fund is housed with the Greater New Orleans Foundation.
Those interested in donating to the fund can go online to https://nola.gov/city/pay-it-forward/. Donors can also contact Allie Betts, donor relations manager at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, at 504-598-4663 or allie@gnof.org.
Information for Harvey evacuees in New Orleans is available at http://ready.nola.gov/incident/harvey/texas-recovery/.
Update on Hurricane Harvey Efforts
The City’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and New Orleans Fire Department have distributed over 69,898 sandbags since starting sandbag distribution on August 14.
Today will be the final day for sandbag distribution for residents. Sandbags will be available for pickup at the following New Orleans Fire Department stations until today at 7 p.m.:
- Station 13: 987 Robert E. Lee Blvd.
- Station 16: 2000 Martin Luther King Blvd.
- Station 17: 4115 Woodland Ave.
- Station 27: 2118 Elysian Fields Ave.
- Station 36: 5403 Read Road
Sewerage & Water Board and its contractors continue to work around the clock to repair all power and pumps. Since early August, we have repaired five drainage pumps and one turbine. Today, 107 of 120 drainage pumps are fully operational.
Updates on pump availability can be found at www.swbno.org.
On August 17, the City of New Orleans passed an approximately $26 million plan from Mayor Landrieu to clean and fix 15,000 catch basins, provide an early warning system for underpass flooding and conduct a comprehensive analysis of the problems that led up to the July 22 and August 5 floods. The funding also allowed for the Department of Homeland Security to preposition assets in advance of Harvey.
Moving forward, the Department of Public Works (DPW) will continue its increased efforts to clean and unclog catch basins and flush drain lines. Four vacuum trucks are in service currently. Since August 6, DPW, along with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, has cleaned over 1,585 catch basins and more than 77,500 linear feet of drain lines.
Today, 311 is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will return to regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., beginning tomorrow. Residents are encouraged to call 311 for general information and to report non-life threatening emergencies. 311 has received over 4,100 calls since Friday.
The City will resume enforcing all parking enforcement Friday, September 1. Residents should no longer park on neutral grounds.
As always, residents are advised to look for updates regularly posted on ready.nola.gov, on Twitter @NOLAReady, and on Facebook @NOLAReady. Additionally, sign up for NOLA Ready alerts, which will notify residents of emergency situations.