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I A2 the livingston parish news Thursday, September 6, 2012
Denham picks debris firms
Record flooding
By Alice Dowty The Livingston Parish News
DENHAM SPRINGS — City councilmen on Tuesday chose Ceres Environmental Services, the same national storm debris removal contractor selected by the Parish Council Aug. 23. For their debris monitor, Denham Springs selected Thompson Consulting Services. Parish Councilmen approved O’Brien’s Debris Removal Monitoring and Management. Monitoring firms are responsible for making sure that the cost of removing and destroying debris will be eligible for reimbursement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Denham Springs is dealing with vegetative debris, such as fallen limbs and trees, Denham Springs Mayor Jimmy Durbin said. The parish has the additional problem of picking up soaked rugs and other household items ruined by flooding. FEMA is paying 75 percent of the debris removal and disposal costs, Durbin said. “The rules have tightened since Hurricane Gustav,” Durbin said. “If we get rejected (for debris bills related to Isaac), we are on the hook for 100 percent, instead of 25 percent.” The Denham Springs contract caps debris expenses at $1 million, and limits the contractors’ time to 30 days, Durbin said. During that 30-day window, the debris removal company will make more than one sweep of the city, removing piles of vegetative debris. White goods, such as refrigerators, and household garbage must not be piled at curbside along with the yard debris. The debris contract approved Tuesday does not cover household trash or white goods, Durbin said. Vegetative debris collection could begin as early as next Tuesday or Wednesday, Durbin said. If debris costs reach $1 million, the city will be paying $250,000, plus some employee overtime. Councilmen have the option of extending the expense caps on the contracts, which will increase the city’s costs, Durbin said. Attorney Paeton Burkett said that FEMA would not reimburse the city for debris bills that fail to pass eligibility criteria. The city was billed over $4 million for costs related to Hurricane Gustav (2008) debris. The federal government paid 95 percent of those costs, Burkett said. The other six firms applying for the Denham Springs debris removal contract were Phillips and Jordan; Crowder Gulf; Santee Modular; MLU; Allied Waste and Timberland. The other three applicants for the monitoring and management contract were O’Briens Debris Removal Monitoring and Management; Providence; and Alvin Fairburn and Associates. City Purchasing Agent Melvin Womack said a committee used six criteria to evaluate applications for debris removal contractor, and eight criteria to evaluate debris monitor applications. Both Ceres and Thompson were clear winners in terms of price as well as points awarded for other criteria, Womack said. Both types of services were awarded up to 15 points for “professional training and experience, especially in relation to the type and magnitude of work required for this project.” Both removal and monitoring applicants could receive up to 20 points for “past and/ or current professional accomplishments, especially in relation to the type of magnitude of work required for project.” Debris removal applicants were also scored on size of firm; past performance; and local participation. Monitoring firms were also graded on capacity for timely completion; nature, quantity and value of previous work; size of firm; past performance and local participation, Womack said.
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Louisiana Press Association
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Newspaper of the
(225)665-5176 | Fax (225) 667-0167 P.O. Box 1529, Denham Springs, LA 70727-1529
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Year
Established 1898 688 Hatchell Lane, Denham Springs, LA 70726
The Livingston Parish News The Livingston Parish News
P.O. Box 1529, Denham Springs, LA 70727-1529 (225)665-5176 | Fax (225) 667-0167
P 688 Hatchell Lane, Denham Springs, LA 70726 Established 1898
Jeff M. David Publisher Mike Dowty Managing Editor
Leesha Gleber Advertising Director
Established in 1898 (ISSN 1545-9594) Publication No. 776740 Periodical postage paid in Denham Springs, Louisiana 70726 and 70727. Published twice weekly at 688 Hatchell Lane, Denham Springs, Louisiana 70726. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LIVINGSTON PARISH NEWS, Post Office Box 1529, Denham Springs, Louisiana 70727-1529. All subscriptions paid in advance, non-refundable. Subscribers’ names removed from mailing list when subscriptions expire. 104 issues per year. Office phone 225-665-5176
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Harrowing rescues, medical emergencies, overwhelmed responders By Alice Dowty The Livingston Parish News
LIVINGSTON — By all accounts, the impact of flooding in Lower Livingston after Hurricane Isaac hit the Louisiana coast broke records and sorely tested emergency responders. Parish officials do not know the number of homes that flooded, and people are still stranded in flooded areas. While there were harrowing tales of rescues from the floodwaters and medical emergencies, extensive property damage so far appears to be the only consequence locally of the disaster. Fire Protection District 2 Chief Brian Drury documented the height of the Tickfaw River flood at 8.15 ft. “It is hard to imagine the Tickfaw at 1 ft. over flood stage, because at that point, the water is spreading out over such a large, low area,” Drury said. “The flood stage is 6.5 ft., so 8.15 ft. is a disaster.” The record-breaking flood along the Tickfaw River last week stranded local fire and police chiefs as well as residents. The river, prevented from flowing south by storm surges, brought water into the area instead of draining water away. As the downpour continued, long-time residents saw their yards disappear under water for the first time, Drury said. Trees and high water blocked roads through the hardest hit area. Residents frightened by rising water entering their homes, or dealing with medical emergencies, called for help, Drury said.
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The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office reports the following between Aug. 27 and Sept. 3: •151,000 – residents seeking information through the Sheriff’s websites. •3,083 requests received for help with downed trees, rescues and accidents. •2,919 calls made to 911. •81 visits to flooded homes. •179 people evacuated. •315 requests for medical help. •105 motor vehicle accidents. •91 disturbances. •442 burglar alarms activated. •A 2.5-ton truck from the Mandeville Fire Department helped with rescue missions. The state reported the following Hurricane Isaac information on Sept. 1: •Damage at Tickfaw State Park is being evaluated. No re-opening date has been set. •State agencies had so far spent $76 million. •Parishes had spent $10.1 million. •The National Guard assisted in the rescue of 52 citizens and 22 pets in Livingston Parish, with six Humvees. •The National Guard sent 72 Humvees to Tangipahoa Parish, along with 566 Guardsmen, 42 high water vehicles, 66 buses for evacuation, four Zodiac boats, and a helicopter. DOTD supplied 137 buses (pre-positioned), and Wildlife and Fisheries supplied 29 vessels, 29 trucks and 29 agents. •The National Guard supplied 6,704 soldiers. •The National Guard assisted in the rescue/evacuation of 5,227 residents state-wide, including 4,801 residents in St. John the Baptist Parish. •Wildlife and Fisheries had rescued a total of 1,522 people and 132 pets. “We did all we could with what we had,” Drury said. Sheriff Jason Ard had stationed a team with boats in the Springfield and Killian area, and a second team with boats in Maurepas, which proved to be the hardest hit areas. Other teams were also pre-positioned in lowlying areas, Ard said, including deputies who live there. Drury said the fire departments and deputies worked well together. The residents of Lower
Livingston themselves, and other parish residents with boats and high-water vehicles, also became major players in the rescue and recovery efforts. “Neighbors looked after one another the best they could,” Drury said. “They alerted us to people with medical conditions and others who wouldn’t be able to help themselves.” Earl Price, a businessman who lives outside the devastated area, is still delivering meals and helping people in
flooded areas, using a truck designed for carrying people through high water. Citizens for Highways and Infrastructure in Livingston Parish (CHILP) secured the help of local retailers, getting supplies at cost for Price to deliver. Price is still finding stranded residents. He recently found 3.5-ft. deep water at the end of Cypress Road (in Head of Island). “Most of the residents were gone, but the ones who were still there needed all the help they could get,” said Price. “We found an elderly couple that was stranded even though they had a boat. The lady was recovering from a hip replacement and the man recently had surgery for cancer. They managed to get out to our truck but couldn’t make it back to their home without our help.” During the storm, first responders ferried people with serious medical emergencies to Acadian Ambulance ground units, Drury said. One woman had a heart attack, and another woman went into labor. Drury said some residents are still surrounded by high water. A bedridden resident on Perrin Ferry Road is surrounded by over 5 ft. of water, and people in the Lizard Creek area have been trapped for a week, Drury said. People at Woodland Baptist Church, near the entrance to Tickfaw State Park, “have been cooking meals for these stranded people, keeping FLOODING Page A6
Outages plague region after storm By Mike Dowty The Livingston Parish News
As of Wednesday, only 171 Livingston Parish locations remained without electricity, all but ending a saga that kept thousands in the dark through the Labor Day weekend. Entergy reported 87 and DEMCO reported 84 parish customers still out Wednesday, compared to the 24,000 who lost lights during or immediately after Tropical Storm Isaac cut is path through Livingston
Parish last Wednesday and Thursday. DEMCO started Saturday morning with 7,700 outage locations left in the parish and Sunday morning had restored power to all but 2,100 customers in the most flooded areas. By Sunday evening, 1,100 DEMCO customers were still waiting for power. Entergy had 2,500 customers in the dark as of Sunday morning. By the end of the day the number was cut in
half to about 1,200. Even in Denham Springs, which recovered quickly, repairs forced intermittent outages to traffic signals, such as the major intersection of Florida Boulevard and Hatchell Lane, which went dark Sunday afternoon just as the Denham SpringsBroadmoor football game traffic began arriving in the area. Officials around the region expressed frustration with Entergy over the lengthy
outages, and Livingston Parish was no exception. Livingston Mayor Derral Jones vowed to file a complaint after Texas Street and other areas of town remained dark days after the storm. French Settlement Mayor Toni Guitrau also complained about the lack of communication with the power company as residents in the Mecca area waited until Monday to be restored.
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I A6 the livingston parish news Thursday, September 6, 2012
Labor during flooding From A2
David Normand | The News
Pfc. Brad Williams, left, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office Capt. Chad McGovern, and Livingston Parish Sheriff deputy Nick LoCicero, right, unload groceries onto a fork lift from a military 10 ton vehicle at Whitehall Grocery Store on Hwy. 22 Friday. The National Guard and Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office loaded the store’s shipment of groceries at Brian’s Supermarket near Highways 16 and 22 to help Whitehall residents who were stranded by high water.
them alive,� Drury said. The floodwaters ruined homes and carry hazards, including a propane tank. “This is going to require a tremendous cleanup effort,� Drury said, including tons of water-soaked rugs and ruined furnishings. Isaac’s unexpected impact created unexpected problems for first responders as well as residents. Drury’s generator went out, and FPD9 in Maurepas flooded. Some fire districts had a communications problem, Drury said. “I had trouble reaching OEP on the channel that was supposed to be reserved for fire districts.� Parish President Layton Ricks said he thought that the Office of Emergency Preparedness “responded and handled most, if not all, that was asked of us. “Our role from Homeland Security is to provide what is requested from the Fire District Chiefs in order to help them do their job,� Ricks said. “It is not to tell them how to do their job.� Fire Protection District 10 Chief Warren Stewart said he was embarrassed to have to turn away residents who came to the fire station looking for help, after five days without power or running water. Agencies involved in the response to a flooding disaster will benefit from a “lessons learned� session, said Parish Councilman Ricky Goff, a 29-year member of Fire Protection District 4. “Everyone has a role to play, and we have to respond as a team. The Isaac experience should make us a stronger team,� Goff said. “No response is ever perfect. The only way to get better is to learn from mistakes.�
Federal programs offer storm assistance By Alice Dowty The Livingston Parish News
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The federal government is helping Livingston Parish residents who suffered major losses during Hurricane Isaac, said U.S. Congressman Bill Cassidy. Cassidy, who met with Lower Livingston residents Wednesday, said his office is helping residents hard hit by the storm with applications for “Individual Assistance� (IA) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Another program, Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, helps households with a low-to-moderate income buy groceries. The stamps will also cover prepared (“hot�) meals through Sept. 30, and are geared to help residents who have flooding
and other home damage that prevents cooking. Disaster Nutrition Assistance is for residents who do not already receive food stamps. The application center is at the AmVets Hall at 26890 La. 42, Springfield, according to the Department of Children and Family Services. Hurricane victims should call (888) 5243578 before coming to the AmVets site. The telephone registration process establishes eligibility. It requires a Social Security number, date of birth for each member of the household, address, monthly income, and amount of available cash on hand. On Monday and Tuesday, any applicants can come to the AmVets site. Beginning Wednes-
clothing and household items, disaster-related medical and dental expenses, cleanup tools (including a wet/dry vacuum and dehumidifier), as well as moving and storage expenses, and is based on a federal declaration of disaster covering Livingston Parish. IA can also cover disaster-related damage to a vehicle, and other necessary expenses or serious needs, as approved by FEMA. “Residents of Livingston and Ascension Parish were devastated by Hurricane Isaac,� Cassidy said. “There are federal resources available to help them through this difficult time. I am committed to helping them access those resources.� Livingston Parish residents with serious
day, applicants with a last name beginning with A, B, and C will be registered. On Thursday, applicants whose last name begins with D through G should come to the AmVets Hall. On Friday, applicants whose last name begins with H through L will be processed. On Saturday, applicants whose last name begins with M through R will be processed. On Sunday, applicants whose last name begins with S through Z will be processed. Applicants need to bring photo identification. FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) program covers larger expenses, such as temporary housing, home repair, help with home replacement,
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property damage can call 1-800-621-3362, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., seven days a week. Applicants must provide proof of identity and proof of residence
in Livingston Parish. Cassidy said his constituents with questions concerning the IA application process are welcome to call his Baton Rouge office at 929-7711.
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