[Public Assisted Emergency Evacuation Exercise]
[00:00:06]
HI, THIS IS PARISH PRESIDENT CYNTHIA LEE SHANG.
WE'RE AT THE DELGADO CAMPUS ON AIRLINE BOULEVARD.
WE'RE NOT AT HURRICANE SEASON YET, BUT WE'RE PREPARING FOR THAT IN A COUPLE WEEKS.
AND IN THE OFF SEASON, CERTAINLY WE'RE VERY BUSY.
WE HAVE UPDATED ALL OF OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLANS.
WE'VE INVESTED IN ADDITIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AT OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, AND TODAY IS A CRITICAL DAY FOR US BECAUSE WE'RE ENGAGED IN A FULL SCALE PUBLIC ASSISTED EVACUATION EXERCISE.
WE HAVE 14 DIFFERENT AGENCIES THAT REPRESENT MANY OF OUR LOCAL DEPARTMENTS AS WELL AS STATE AGENCIES GOING THROUGH AN EXERCISE WHERE WE WOULD PICK UP PEOPLE AND GET THEM TO SAFETY.
WE JUST WANNA STRESS THAT THESE STORMS ARE COMING AT US VERY QUICK.
LIKE WITH IDA, WE DID NOT HAVE TIME TO DO A FULL SCALE EVACUATION, SO WE WANNA STRESS THAT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO HAVE THEIR OWN EMERGENCY PLAN BE READY BECAUSE OUR TIMELINES ARE GETTING SHORTER AND SHORTER THE WAY MOTHER NATURE IS DELIVERING THESE STORMS TO US.
WITH THE SHORTENED TIMELINES, WE REALLY ARE GONNA PRIORITIZE THE PEOPLE THAT IF WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO GET OUT, EVERYBODY, WE GET OUT THE MOST NEEDY AND THE MOST DEPENDENT PEOPLE, THE MEDICALLY VULNERABLE, THE PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE LEVEE PROTECTION SYSTEM, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN HOMES THAT ARE NOT GONNA WITHSTAND THOSE KINDS OF WINDS.
OUR GOAL IS TO GET EVERYONE THAT IS UNABLE TO HAVE THEIR OWN TRANSPORTATION OR THE MEANS OR MAYBE MEDICALLY VULNERABLE TO HAVE A CHANCE TO GET EVACUATED AWAY FROM HARM'S WAY.
WE INCLUDED IN THE EXERCISE THE SET UP OF THE AL AND THE DELGADO SITE, AND WE WERE ABLE TO SET UP BOTH SITES IN LESS THAN AN HOUR IN BOTH CASES.
SO WE WERE EXTREMELY PLEASED WITH THAT.
HURRICANES ARE COMING AT US FASTER, SO ONE OF OUR GOALS HERE TODAY IS TO REALLY FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN CONSOLIDATE AN EVACUATION INTO A SHORTER TIMEFRAME.
IN AN IDEAL SCENARIO, THE PARISH PRESIDENT IS GONNA GIVE YOU ABOUT TWO DAYS NOTICE BEFORE YOU HAVE TO START GETTING IN YOUR CAR TO EVACUATE OR GOING TO A BUS STOP TO GET ON THIS BUS.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR OWN TRANSPORTATION OUT IN A CONDENSED TIMELINE, THAT MIGHT SHRINK TO ONE DAY OR HALF A DAY BEFORE YOU HAVE TO GET OUT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE READY TO GO, THAT YOU HAVE MEDICATIONS ON HAND THIS HURRICANE SEASON.
YOU HAVE BACKUP EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR MEDICAL SUPPLIES, UM, THAT YOU HAVE ALL THE IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS GATHERED AND IN ONE PLACE SO THAT IF WE CALL FOR AN EVACUATION, WE CAN GET YOU OUT AND INTO A STATE SHELTER BEFORE THAT STORM COMES.
WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE BUSES IS YOU WOULD GO TO YOUR LOCAL BUS STOP AND THE BUS WOULD PICK YOU UP AND BRING YOU TO THIS PROCESSING FACILITY WHERE ANOTHER BUS WOULD COME AND, UM, TAKE YOU TO SAFETY SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE THE AREA.
THIS IS A CRITICAL DAY FOR US IN JEFFERSON PARISH, BUT AGAIN, AS WE APPROACH STORM SEASON, PLEASE HAVE YOUR PLAN READY.
STAY IN TUNE TO THE MEDIA, STAY IN TUNE TO ALL OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AS WELL, AND WE'LL SEE YOU SOON.