CLOSINGS, CANCELLATIONS, OFFICIAL EVACUATIONS

Regular New Orleans transit service to end Friday
by Frank Donze, The Times-Picayune
Thursday August 28, 2008, 12:37 PM

Bus and streetcar service in New Orleans will be shut down indefinitely beginning Friday night to allow the Regional Transit Authority the time needed to move vehicles to safety before Hurricane Gustav makes landfall along the Gulf Coast...

...The RTA will provide regular bus and streetcar service on Friday.

But streetcar service on the Riverfront Line and by-reservation paratransit service for disabled riders citywide will end at 7 p.m. Friday.

All fixed-route bus service is expected to shut down by about 2 a.m. Saturday after the last vehicles complete their runs. Streetcar service along the St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street lines will end around 3 a.m. Saturday.

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CLOSING INFO:

It has been determined that Tropical Storm Gustav may pose a significant threat to the city of New Orleans within the next 72 hours. Classes and events on campus will be cancelled Friday, August 29, and operations at the university will be suspended Saturday, August 30. We have implemented our emergency action plan, including a mandatory evacuation of the campus, which is effective Saturday morning.

All staff are to report to work Friday morning, August 29, but will be dismissed by noon with their supervisors’ approval. All students, faculty and staff MUST evacuate the campus by Saturday, August 30 at 9 a.m., when all buildings on the campus will be secured.

Students, faculty and staff are strongly advised to implement their own emergency evacuation plans at this time. Students living on campus are to immediately contact their resident advisors and follow the procedures outlined in the university’s evacuation plan.

Faculty and staff should implement the procedures for evacuating campus as outlined in the university’s evacuation plan. Please contact your department heads for further instructions related to this process.

For those of you with university parking decals who would like to leave your vehicle behind, you will be allowed to park your car in the Freret Street garage, excluding the first floor.

Classes will resume Tuesday morning September 2 on Loyola’s web-based Blackboard Learning System. At this time, it is anticipated that normal university operations will resume on Thursday, September 4, including all on-campus classes.

Please continue to regularly monitor the university website (www.loyno.edu) and the university’s information hotline (504.865.2186) for official information. The university has also initiated a toll-free emergency hotline, (1-888-94LOYNO), which will continue to operate for the duration of the event regardless of any phone interruptions in New Orleans.

Touro employees,

In addition to caring for patients, we understand that our employees need to care for their families and homes. To help you better plan your time during the next few days, Touro leadership has established a day and time essential employees should report for work.

We are asking all essential employees to report to the hospital at 7 a.m. on Monday, September 1st. Employees should park in the Prytania Street Parking Garage and are required to check in at either of the third floor entrances to the hospital. We will not be using the KRONOS electronic clocks on Monday—all employees will be required to use manual sign-in sheets and will be paid according to Touro’s hurricane policy.

We will continue to carefully track Tropical Storm Gustav and encourage you to do the same. If the situation or timelines associated with the storm change, we will contact employees via e-mail to provide updates. It is critical that you continue to check Touro e-mail and the Touro website, www.touro.com, frequently during the next few days and especially over the weekend.

sites.google.com/site/lpsbinfo/

this is the link for Lafourche parish school board to keep up with what is going on

My sis just called me to say that the road work cones at the foot of the Twin Spans on the Northshore side are being picked up. Looks like we are prepping for Contraflow.

L E Fletcher cancels classes beginning at 12:30pm on Friday.

www.houmatoday.com/article/20080828/HURBLOG/808280234/1223&title=Fletcher_cancels_classes

News from St. Charles Parish Government
Contact: Renee C. Allemand Public Information Officer
(985) 783-5000; (504) 269-7636 (cell); (985) 783-5023 (fax)
rallemand@stcharlesgov.net;
www.stcharlesgov.net


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7 p.m. August 28, 2008

ST. CHARLES RELEASES TENTATIVE EVACUATION TIMELINE
Parish officials clarify assisted evacuation plan, re-entry procedures

HAHNVILLE – The latest track for Tropical Storm Gustav takes the storm onshore over Terrebone Parish Tuesday morning as a powerful Category 3 hurricane.
Models show storm surges could top 13 feet on the West Bank of St. Charles Parish, and officials are preparing for the worst. All residents should be taking steps to secure their homes and prepare for evacuation. .
Parish President V.J. St. Pierre Jr. is working with all parish departments and agencies to continue these plans. At 4 p.m. today St. Pierre signed an emergency declaration for St. Charles Parish. .
All protective actions will be taken in accordance with the timeline set by the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. .


The following is a TENTATIVE timeline of parish evacuations:

Emergency Operations personnel will begin contacting St. Charles Parish special needs evacuees at noon Friday with information on anticipated evacuations beginning Saturday morning via ambulance. If you or someone you know requires medical special needs evacuation, call the St. Charles Parish EOC IMMEDIATELY at (985) 783-5050.



The assisted evacuation plan is tentatively set to begin Saturday morning at 8 a.m. with pickup of residents and their pets via school bus. This plan is ONLY for those residents who DO NOT have other transportation out of St. Charles Parish. Those with pets MUST bring pet supplies, including a CARRIER. Please note that St. Charles Parish residents who have not signed up with this plan ahead of time WILL NOT be able to utilize the Avoyelles Parish shelter designated for this group. This is not a public shelter. If you will need assistance, call EOC IMMEDIATELY at (985) 783-5050. Please note, if you are signed up for this service, you MUST leave when the assisted evacuation begins to ensure a safe and orderly evacuation.



If you have transportation but do not have a place to stay, the state of Louisiana has set up public shelters you may utilize. For a list of information checkpoints for these shelters, visit www.stcharlesgov.net/hurricane/stateguide.htm.



A mandatory evacuation of St. Charles Parish could be called as early as 8 a.m. Sunday morning. Officials are STRONGLY ADVISING residents to leave before this time on a voluntary basis to avoid traffic congestion. Contraflow could begin as early as 4 p.m. Sunday, according to State Police. .



Please continue to keep these things in mind: .

Garbage pickup will run normal routes through Aug. 30. Any residents planning to leave due to Gustav must secure their garbage can before leaving. Coastal Waste Services will not be held responsible for replacing any missing containers. Any route changes for Sept. 1 and 2 will be posted on the parish Web site and Channel 6 as it becomes available.



The parish is seeking volunteers willing to drive buses during the assisted evacuation. No CDL license is necessary. Please call EOC at (985) 783-5050 if you can help.



Please continue to clear out catch basins and ditches on and near their property to ensure proper drainage.



Re-entry guidelines for business owners and residents are available through Louisiana State Police at www.lsp.org under ‘Hurricane Information.’ The parish is not issuing re-entry passes. Residents should be sure they have a driver’s license with proof of residency during re-entry.



The St. Charles Parish Animal Shelter is now closed indefinitely. Please call EOC at (985) 783-5050 for any animal-related emergencies.



The West Bank Bridge Park will be closed beginning Friday afternoon. All cars parked overnight in the parking lot will be subject to towing.



Please refer to the St. Charles Parish School Board Web site at www.stcharles.k12.la.us for information about school closings.



Residents should take alternate routes to leave the parish in the event of a mandatory evacuation. Once contraflow begins, Interstates will become difficult to travel, and I-310 will only be open between the Luling Bridge and Airline Highway. To view an evacuation map, visit www.stcharlesgov.net/hurricane.



Sign up to receive e-mail updates throughout any storm event by sending your e-mail address to channel6@stcharlesgov.net.



Residents should bring their own shovels for sandbags, which are available at 37 locations around the parish. For a complete list of locations, visit www.stcharlesgov.net/hurricane. .



For more information on hurricane preparedness, visit www.stcharlesgov.net/hurricane.
St. Charles Parish residents are urged to stay tuned to Cable Channel 6, www.stcharlesgov.net and 1370 AM for additional updates.