Officials, churches, civic groups and citizens pitch in to pull through
As forecasts warned of extreme cold and hazardous winter weather, Richland Parish officials moved early to prepare, issuing a local emergency declaration Jan. 23 designed to speed coordination, activate emergency plans and protect residents if conditions worsened.
The declaration was not intended to alarm residents, parish officials said, but to give local government and public safety agencies flexibility to respond quickly. It allowed coordination with state partners, streamlined emergency purchasing, reinforced protections such as price-gouging restrictions and positioned the parish to request additional equipment and personnel if needed.
Within days, the storm’s impacts spread across daily life.
Richland Parish schools closed for the week while the Northeast Louisiana Livestock Show was postponed one week, shifting from Jan. 30 to Feb. 6. Officials and emergency agencies urged residents to stay off roads as ice accumulated and temperatures fell.
By Jan. 25, Richland Parish Sheriff Neal Harwell warned conditions were “extremely dangerous,” citing trees falling as quickly as crews could remove them, along with power lines down and tangled in limbs. The sheriff’s office, police jury, DOTD, Entergy and Northeast Louisiana Power Cooperative worked to clear roadways and restore access for emergency response and critical services, he said, urging residents to stay home unless there was an emergency.
As precipitation ended and colder air moved in, Richland Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Dawn Williams issued an update noting dropping temperatures, breezy winds and the risk of additional limbs and trees falling in already weakened areas. Wind chills near zero were expected, along with nighttime lows in the teens and continued subfreezing temperatures.
Entergy and Nelpco each estimated more than 7,000 people without power throughout Richland Parish, with many people still using generators on Monday.
While power restoration efforts pushed forward across north Louisiana, access and safety remained major obstacles. State officials and utility updates described widespread outages and damage assessments underway, with thousands of restoration workers deployed and additional tools, including drones, used to speed evaluation in the hardest-hit areas.
Transportation problems also intensified across the region. Louisiana State Police reported multiple locations along Interstate 20 were significantly impacted by stalled commercial vehicles, creating standstill conditions and requiring coordinated recovery operations involving troopers, heavy-duty wreckers and the Louisiana National Guard. Troopers warned motorists to avoid unnecessary travel and use the state’s 511 system for road updates.
In Richland Parish, cold nights and lingering outages shifted attention to shelter and food.
The sheriff’s office and the parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness opened a warming center at the Rayville Civic Center on Jan. 26, operating 24 hours. Officials later announced the warming station would remain open until every home in the parish had electricity restored.
“Our community has been taking care of their neighbors, family, and friends,” the sheriff’s office said in a Jan. 29 update, calling that response part of what makes Richland Parish special.
Community groups and churches also opened doors.
Cool Kids Inc., partnered with United Way of Northeast Louisiana, announced it would provide a warming space at 711 Louisa St. in Rayville beginning Jan. 25, offering a place for individuals and families to get warm, along with meals funded through United Way. The group later said it was providing free meals, snacks and drinks, with donated water from Brookshire’s and cots and blankets provided by Tender Touch Nursery. Organizers asked residents who could to bring blankets and pillows, while volunteers arranged hot meals and latenight food options.
Other local sites offered warmth, charging stations and food. Start Baptist Church announced Halley Hall was open for residents to warm up, charge devices and share coffee, with gumbo served for a limited window. The Market on Julia in Rayville offered free meals for essential workers as long as supplies lasted.
Food support expanded beyond single locations as partners organized broad distribution.
The Community Youth Hunger Prevention Project announced a storm response effort to prepare and distribute 1,600 meals to children across Richland Parish, crediting organizer Jordan Hubbard and support from the Richland Parish Data Center, the Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce, First Baptist Church in Rayville and Meta. Distribution points and satellite sites were listed in Rayville, Mangham and Delhi to reach neighborhoods across the parish.
At the same time, the Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce coordinated meal voucher drives in multiple towns, providing free meals at local restaurants for storm-impacted residents and highlighting the role small businesses play during emergencies.
The chamber thanked Meta for supporting local restaurants and named additional partners and volunteers who helped with the effort, including the Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office, local mayors, the Council on Aging and community vendors.
Vouchers were made available at the Rayville Civic Center, Delhi City Hall and Honey’s Restaurant during scheduled hours, with supplies offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Even as residents worked through cold homes and blocked roads, messages of appreciation and mutual support circulated.
The Rayville Fire Department thanked Tina Cielatka and Tommie Cook American Legion Post 122 for delivering snacks and drinks to firefighters cleaning debris and protecting the community, along with coffee provided by HeBrews Coffee and Eats.
In Mangham, Mayor Charlotte Boone urged residents to remain indoors when possible and avoid driving unless absolutely necessary. With outages affecting large portions of the community, Boone encouraged residents to check on neighbors, especially seniors and those needing assistance, and promised the town would help connect residents to support.
By the end of the week, restoration efforts continued in pockets of the parish as line crews and cooperative workers moved through listed areas and residents kept trading information the same way they traded meals, blankets and phone chargers: neighbor to neighbor.
