Tensas still wrestling with aftermath of ice
Tensas Parish is still working to recover from the ice storm which blanketed the parish for a week.
As of press time, many Tensas residents were still without power and water due to damage from the cold weather.
“The jurors ... y’all really ponied up did a good job of taking care of your constituents and others and I really commend y’all for that,” Tensas Parish Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Rick Foster said while addressing the Tensas Parish Police Jury Feb. 24.
By working with the state and the Northeast Louisiana Food Bank, public officials, emergency responders and volunteers from throughout the parish, came together to deliver hot meals and bottled water to residents left without power and water. Supplies were primarily being distributed in the towns of Newellton and Waterproof since those were the hardest hit, Foster said.
“The reason they’re not coming to St. Joe is that y’all got water, y’all got power. Every system is under a boil water advisory.”
Newellton’s water plant suffered damage which required new parts to be machined. Workers were still waiting for them to be delivered on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Foster said, the state was collecting information to determine whether or not Tensas Parish met the threshold to qualify for emergency aid.
The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is requesting information from anyone who received damage due to the winter weather event last week. It is important to all of the agencies responsible for recovery to gather this information as quickly as possible.
The self-reporting survey, which can be found at damage.la.gov, will help local and state emergency managers collect data to move forward with the recovery process.
LA 211 assistance is also available in order to ease the survey process for anyone with access and functional needs.
You can choose one of the following steps:
• Text the keyword DamagesLA to 898-211. This will provide an instant reply with a survey link -- making it easy to respond by smart phone
• Dial 211 for assistance to complete the survey
This step should not replace reporting damage to your insurance agency. Anyone impacted by the winter storm should fill out the survey to report damage to your home or business (structures only, no vehicles).
The survey is voluntary and does not guarantee any federal disaster relief assistance. It will be beneficial in assisting with the damage assessment process in Louisiana related to this event.
In the meantime, Gov. John Bel Edwards has requested emergency relief from the federal government and that request has been granted. Filling out the survey is one way to make sure the government is aware of the level and magnitude of damage in Tensas Parish.