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HERE WITH US THIS MORNING AT OUR[2024 Hurricane Prep Press Conference]
ANNUAL HURRICANE PREP CONFERENCE.YOU'RE GONNA HEAR FROM A LOT OF SPEAKERS TODAY.
UM, BUT I ALSO WANTED TO, UM, THANK MAYOR GLASER FROM KENNER FOR BEING HERE, MAYOR CONSTANT FROM GRETNA FOR BEING HERE.
COUNCILMAN, UM, DINO BONANO FOR BEING HERE, COUNCIL, UH, UH, WOMAN JENNIFER VAN REEN FOR BEING HERE.
OUR CHAIRMAN, SCOTT WALKER, IS GONNA BE ADDRESSING YOU, UM, AS PART OF OUR REPRESENTING THE COUNCIL, UM, WHEN THE SPEAKERS COME UP AND I'M GONNA INTRODUCE EVERYBODY ELSE AS THEY, UM, COME UP TO SPEAK.
SO, UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE HERE IN OUR JEFFERSON PARISH EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER IN GRETNA FOR THIS YEAR'S HURRICANE PREPARATION PRESS CONFERENCE.
SHARI IS WITH US, UM, AND JENNIFER AS WELL IS GONNA BE HELPING, UM, FROM THE DEATH ACTION CENTER INTERPRETERS.
SO WE DO THIS EVERY YEAR, AND THE REASONS FOR THIS ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR WHERE WE LIVE.
IT'S MAINLY TO JUST START GETTING EVERYONE IN THE MINDSET THAT HURRICANE SEASON IS COMING UPON US AND TO REALLY GIVE PEOPLE TIME TO PREPARE.
WE HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF PREPARATION OVER THESE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
UM, AND THIS SEASON ESPECIALLY, I THINK THIS PRESS CONFERENCES VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
WE HAVE SOME NEW THINGS THAT I WANNA DISCUSS.
UM, THE ACTIVE FORECAST, WHICH IS, UM, VERY, ONE OF THE HIGHEST ON RECORD, UM, THE RAPID INTENSIFICATION OF STORMS, WHICH IS SOMETHING NEW THAT WE'VE SEEN THESE PAST COUPLE YEARS AND COMPLETELY CHANGES THE TIMEFRAMES FOR US, AND THAT IS VERY CRITICAL INFORMATION.
AND THEN WE MADE SOME, UM, AS PART OF THE INSURANCE CRISIS THAT WE WERE TRYING TO DEAL WITH LOCALLY, WE MADE SOME CHANGES TO THE BUILDING PERMIT RULES.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF IN FACT WE HAVE A STORM WHERE A LOT OF ROOFS ARE DAMAGED, I WANNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS NEEDED NOW.
SO, UM, AND THEN YOU'LL HEAR FROM A LOT OF THESE AGENCIES AS TO THEIR PREPARATIONS FOR THE STORM SEASON AS WELL.
SO YOU'LL HAVE A GOOD, UM, HOST OF SPEAKERS BEFORE YOU TODAY.
SO THE OFFICIAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST THROUGH THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ADMINISTER AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION WILL NOT BE RELEASED FOR ANOTHER FEW WEEKS.
BUT THERE ARE SOME OTHER AGENCIES THAT HAVE PUT OUT THEIR MODELS, AND THERE'S NO OTHER WAY FOR ME TO SAY THIS.
THE FORECAST THAT HAVE BEEN RELEASED SO FAR ARE GONNA SHOW THAT WE ARE GONNA HAVE A VERY ACTIVE HURRICANE SEASON, PERHAPS ONE OF THE BUSIEST ONES ON RECORD.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, THE COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY MODEL, WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE, UM, LOOK AT 23 NAMED STORMS WHEN THE AVERAGE IS 1411 HURRICANES WHEN THE AVERAGE IS SEVEN AND FIVE MAJOR HURRICANES WHEN THE AVERAGE IS THREE.
AND THOSE AVERAGES ARE FROM 1991 TO 2020.
OKAY? SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH AND THAT'S WHY THIS IS SO VERY IMPORTANT.
THE OTHER THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT IS, AS I SAID THE PAST COUPLE YEARS, IS THE RAPID INTENSIFICATION OF STORMS. UM, IF WE LOOKED AT THE TRADITIONAL DEFINITION OF RAPID INTENSIFICATION, THAT IS A STORM THAT INCREASED IN WIND SPEED BY 35 MILES PER HOUR IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD.
AND THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE SAID, OH, THIS STORM RAPIDLY INTENSIFIED.
AND IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, THESE STORMS, AND ESPECIALLY SOME LAST YEAR SHOW THAT THAT DEFINITION NOW IS COMPLETELY OUTDATED.
UM, HURRICANE OTIS SHOCKED EVERYBODY.
UM, LAST YEAR IT WENT TO 110 MILES PER HOUR IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD, OKAY? IT ACTUALLY DOUBLED IN STRENGTH IN A 12 HOUR PERIOD.
AGAIN, THE OLD DEFINITION OF RAPID INTENSIFICATION IS 35 MILES PER HOUR IN A 25 MILE PER HOUR PERIOD.
OTIS DID 90 MILES PER HOUR IN HALF THE TIME.
SO IT'S OFF THE CHART TYPE OFF THE CHART.
HURRICANE, HURRICANE LEAK LAST YEAR INCREASED 85 MILES PER HOUR IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD.
HURRICANE LAURA, WE KNOW ALL TOO WELL 63 MILES PER HOUR IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD.
AND I'LL ALWAYS SAY, IDA, YOU KNOW, ON THAT WEDNESDAY WE HAD A COUNCIL MEETING COME OUT, THE COUNCIL MEETING, WE WERE LOOKING AT THE MODELS, EVERYTHING TO TEXAS.
ON THURSDAY, THAT CONE WENT OVER FROM HOUSTON TO MOBILE.
AND ON FRIDAY WE WERE SITTING IN THIS ROOM, DOWN THE HALL, GOING OVER OUR PREPARATIONS, WATCHING THE FORECAST, AND IT WENT DOWN THE HALL.
WE WERE IN THE ROOM, WENT FROM A CATEGORY TWO TO A CATEGORY FOUR RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES AND LEFT US VERY LITTLE TIME TO DO CONTRA FLOW, TO DO BUSES, TO DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
SO AGAIN, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US? THE THOUGHT THAT WE COULD GO FROM A CATEGORY ONE AND EVERYBODY'S SAYING, OH, IT'S A CATEGORY ONE, WE'RE GONNA JUST STAY DOWN.
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SOME WATER, WE'RE GONNA STAY HOME.AND THEN IT RAPIDLY INTENSIFIES TO WHERE WE SHOULD HAVE LEFT.
IT LEAVES EVERYONE UNPREPARED.
OKAY? SO, UM, THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE HERE TODAY IS THAT THE TIMEFRAMES FOR US, FOR YOUR FAMILY DECISIONS, THOSE TIMEFRAMES THAT WE'VE HAD IN OUR HEAD OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, JUST MAKE SURE EVERYBODY KNOW THOSE TIMEFRAMES ARE NOW SHORTENED WITH RAPID INTENSIFICATION, YOU WILL HAVE TO LEAVE EARLIER.
EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE QUICKER.
EVERYTHING IS ABOUT LEAVING EARLIER.
THERE'S OVER A MILLION PEOPLE IN OUR REGION IN THE GREATER NEW NEW ORLEANS AREA.
THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME IF EVERYBODY WAITS UNTIL THE THING RAPIDLY INTENSIFIES TO GET EVERYBODY OUT.
SO IF YOU CAN LEAVE AND YOU HAVE THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO LEAVE, YOU LEAVE AND YOU LEAVE EARLY.
UM, AND THE THIRD THING I WANNA DISCUSS ARE THE CHANGES WITH REGARD TO ROOF PERMITS.
SO THIS IS ONLY GONNA COME INTO PLAY IF OVER 50% OF YOUR ROOF HAS TO BE REPLACED.
IT'S NOT THE FEW SHINGLES THAT GOT BLOWN OFF.
IT'S NOT THAT SITUATION IF OVER 50% OF YOUR ROOF IS GONNA HAVE TO BE REPLACED POST STORM OR EVEN TODAY JUST DOING A REMODEL, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, NEW, NEW BUILD, WHATEVER.
OKAY? WHAT HAPPENED WAS, WE KNOW WE WERE DEALING WITH AN INSURANCE CRISIS, AND THEN LAST YEAR AT THE SAME TIME, OUR STATE LEGISLATOR ADOPTED THE 2021, UM, IRC CODE, INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE.
AND THAT FOR US, GREAT, GREAT VOTE, GREAT LEGISLATIVE MOVE, BROUGHT MORE RIGOROUS CONSTRUCTION FOR ROOF STANDARDS.
IT JUST UPPED OUR STANDARDS ACROSS THE BOARD.
SECONDARY LEAF LEAK PROTECTION, SEALED ROOF DECKS.
IT WAS REALLY A GOOD PIECE OF LEGISLATION.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, WE WERE GOING THROUGH AN INSURANCE CRISIS AND A LOT OF JEFFERSON PARISH PEOPLE WERE ON CITIZENS.
THE, THE INSURER OF LAST RESORT WITH THE STATE AND REAL CRISIS AND EVEN THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION UP TO THIS YEAR IS, HOW DO WE GET MORE INSURANCE COMPANIES TO COME TO LOUISIANA? WE HAD THE INCENTIVE PACKAGES THAT'S BEING DEBATED THROUGH THIS YEAR.
OUR LOCAL HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, AND THEY'RE REPRESENTED TODAY, APPROACHED US LAST YEAR SAYING, HEY, YOU DON'T REALLY DO A PERMIT FOR NEW ROOFS.
YOU DON'T, YOU JUST LET PEOPLE REPLACE THEIR ROOF WITHOUT ANY DOCUMENTATION.
AND INSURANCE COMPANIES LIKE TO SEE THAT THEY WANT A PERMIT.
UM, IT'S MORE, MORE WORK ON YOUR PART, BUT IT ESTABLISHES AN OFFICIAL DATABASE.
THEY LOOK AT THEIR RISK IN WRITING A POLICY.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO TAKE A HOMEOWNER'S WORD FOR IT.
IT BECOMES A LEGAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT OF, I GOT A NEW ROOF IN 2024, AND THEN THE RISK GOES DOWN ON THEIR POLICY.
HOMEOWNERS CAN GET A BETTER RATE, I'M SURE.
THE HOME BUILDERS WERE ABLE TO GET STATE LEGISLATION CHANGED.
OF COURSE, OUR INITIAL FEELING WAS THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO DO THIS AFTER A STORM.
THEY WORKED WITH LEGISLATORS TO GET THAT CHANGED.
AND SO NOW WHEN YOU GO FOR A PERMIT, YOU CAN DO IT ONLINE.
YOUR ROOFER CAN SUBMIT PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE, WE CAN APPROVE IT.
IT'S A VERY, VERY QUICK PROCESS.
IT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY OF OUR PEOPLE TO GO OUT.
SO THIS IS A BIG CHANGE IN TERMS OF ROOF PERMITS, OBVIOUSLY.
UM, WE DON'T WANT, UH, TO HINDER RESTORATION EFFORTS.
IT'S BEEN IN PLACE SINCE AUGUST OF LAST YEAR.
WE'VE ALREADY PROCESSED NEARLY 500 OF THEM ALREADY.
SO WE'RE ALREADY WORKING THIS SYSTEM, BUT I, I JUST NEED EVERYBODY TO KNOW THAT IS A BIG CHANGE FROM WHAT WE HAD BEFORE AND IT IS TO, UM, DEAL WITH THE INSURANCE CRISIS.
SO DURING THE MONTHS THAT WE'RE NOT IN HURRICANE SEASON, I CAN ASSURE YOU OUR TEAMS HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY.
PURCHASING NEW EQUIPMENT, PRE-POSITIONING ASSETS, TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TRAINING.
UM, AND JUST LIKE US, IT IS TIME FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TO ALSO BEGIN YOUR PREPARATIONS.
SO WE SHOULD NOW, RIGHT NOW, BE ENGAGING IN THOSE PROACTIVE COMMON SENSE ACTION ITEMS TO PREPARE US TO GO INTO HURRICANE SEASON.
SO THESE THINGS ARE MAKING SURE YOUR CAR RIGHT NOW IS IN WORKING ORDER.
HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR FAMILY ABOUT WHERE YOU WOULD GO, UM, FILLING YOUR MEDICATIONS AHEAD OF TIME.
IF YOU HAVE ANY, YOU KNOW, PRESCRIPTIONS THAT ARE OVERDUE, NOW'S THE TIME TO GET THE NEW PRESCRIPTIONS AND GET THOSE FILLED.
GETTING YOUR IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS IN PLACE, NEW BATTERIES FOR FLASHLIGHTS, WATER CAN CODES, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE KNOW HOW TO DO.
THE REASON FOR THIS IS TO GET EVERYBODY IN THE MINDSET, BECAUSE WE KNOW ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN THE NEWS TELLS THE STORM'S COMING, WE'RE ALL FEELING CHAOTIC.
WE WANNA BE A STEP AHEAD ON THIS.
UM, SO I KNOW I'VE TALKED A A LOT ABOUT IT, BUT BEFORE I CALL UP OUR NEXT SPEAKER, UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE IF YOU'RE NOT ON OUR JEFFERSON PARISH ALERT SYSTEM, YOU WANNA GET ON THAT NOW, TEXT JP ALERT TO 8 8 8 7 7 7 OR FOR OUR SPANISH SPEAKING CITIZENS, JP NOTICIAS TO 8 8 8 7 7 7.
OKAY, WITH THAT, UM, I'M GONNA ASK OUR COUNCIL CHAIRMAN SCOTT WALKER, WHO REPRESENTS THE COUNCIL TO COME UP AND GIVE SOME WORDS.
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THANK YOU MADAM PRESIDENT.I WAS LOOKING AROUND, I THINK THE FISHING SHIRT PERCENTAGE IS 25% TODAY.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT GETS SERIOUS WHEN THERE IS A MUCH BIGGER PERCENTAGE OF FISHING SHIRTS UP HERE.
UM, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE IT'S TIME TO PREPARE AND IT'S NOT TIME TO BE ACTIVE, ACTIVELY ENGAGED WITH STORM PREPARATION RIGHT NOW.
UM, BECAUSE SOMETHING'S AN IMMINENT THREAT RIGHT NOW IS THE TIME, AS THE PARISH PRESIDENT SAID TO PREPARE BECAUSE THE PROBLEM WITH HURRICANE FORECAST, AND THE REASON THAT THEY'RE TRICKY IS BECAUSE YOU CAN HAVE THE MOST ACTIVE FORECAST THAT YOU'VE HAD IN RECENT TIMES LIKE WE SEE THIS YEAR, AND YOU COULD NOT BE AFFECTED AT ALL.
OR YOU COULD HAVE A HURRICANE FORECAST THAT FALLS FLAT FOR THE SEASON AND YOU GET ONE, AND THAT'S ALL IT TAKES IS ONE BAD ONE TO BE A TERRIBLE HURRICANE SEASON.
SO TO ME, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S THE MOST ACTIVE SEASON THAT WE'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME THAT WE COULDN'T BE SEEING COMING UP, OR IF IT IS PROJECTED TO BE AN EXTREMELY SLOW SEASON, BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW IN THAT ONE CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
SO WHEN THAT ONE DOES AFFECT US, HOPEFULLY NOT THIS SEASON, WE'VE HAD TWO SLOW SEASONS, HOPEFULLY, IF THAT CONTINUES.
JEFFERSON PARISH WILL BE READY, YOU'LL HEAR HOW READY WE ARE IN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES.
SO I WON'T TALK ABOUT ANYTHING THEY'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, BUT I WILL SAY YOU HAVE SEVEN COUNCIL OFFICES AND THE COUNCIL OFFICES ARE HERE TO HELP DURING AND AFTER A STORM.
WE CAN BE YOUR CONDUIT TO THE PEOPLE THAT YOU NEED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH, WHETHER IT'S ENERGY, WHETHER IT'S AT AND T, WHETHER IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, THE GARBAGE COLLECTION, WHATEVER YOU MAY NEED.
IF YOU'RE HAVING PROBLEMS AFTER A STORM, YOU CAN REACH OUR OFFICES.
WE CAN PUT YOU IN THE RIGHT PLACES.
THE OTHER THING THAT'S IMPORTANT AS A, AS A HURRICANE SEASON COMES TOWARDS US AND THAT INFORMATION COMES OUT, IS TO REALIZE HOW MUCH MISINFORMATION THERE IS OUT THERE EVERY YEAR BEFORE A HURRICANE SEASON, DURING A HURRICANE, ESPECIALLY AS, AS THE STORM IS APPROACHING AND ALL THE DIFFERENT COMPUTER MODELS FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT SOURCES ARE COMING, JUST MAKE SURE YOU GET INFORMATION FROM RELIABLE SOURCES, LEGITIMATE NEWS OUTLETS, AND NOT THE ANYBODY CAN BE A METEOROLOGIST FACEBOOK PAGE BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE PROBLEMS START, AND THAT'S WHEN UNNECESSARY PANIC ENSUES.
SO JUST NO MATTER THE FORECAST, NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK, JUST BE PREPARED.
HAVE YOUR PERSONAL PLAN, BE READY TO REACT IF YOU NEED TO, WHETHER IT'S AN EXTENSIVELY BUSY HURRICANE SEASON OR A PROJECTED MILD HURRICANE SEASON, THE KEY IS TO BE READY.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU DO.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'LL DO AS WE, UH, NAVIGATE THROUGH ANY POTENTIAL PRICES THAT COMES OUR WAY IN 2024.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND LET EVERYBODY ELSE HAVE IT.
I HAVE TO GET BACK TO THE EAST BANK FOR A MEETING, SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
OKAY, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCILMAN RTO BOHANNAN FROM DISTRICT FOUR IS HERE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US THIS MORNING.
UM, NEXT WE'RE IN THEIR HOUSE, OUR DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, JOE VALIENTE, AND OUR CHIEF, UM, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT OVER PUBLIC HEALTH, SARAH BABCOCK.
UH, I JUST WANNA LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT JEFFERSON PARISH IS STORM READY.
WE'VE COMPLETED OUR ANNUAL EOC ACTIVATION TRAINING AND WE CONDUCTED THAT WITH THE STATE CAJUN KALEIDOSCOPE EXERCISE.
SO THIS WAS THE FIRST YEAR WHERE WE HAD ALL OF OUR INDIVIDUALS IN THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER AND WE WERE ACTUALLY REACTING TO INJECTS THAT WERE COMING FROM BATON ROUGE.
SO IT WAS THE CLOSEST REAL TIME TRAINING THAT WE'VE EVER DONE.
UM, EVERYONE IN THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER HERE, JEFFERSON PARISH DID VERY WELL.
WE WERE VERY RESPONSIVE AND THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF COMMUNICATION THAT WAS GOING BACK AND FORTH.
SO IT WAS OUR BEST TRAINING THAT WE'VE EVER HAD.
AND LIKE I THANK THE STATE FOR INCLUDING US IN THAT EXERCISE, WE'VE UPGRADED THE AUDIO VISUAL CAPABILITIES OF THE EOC, WHICH HELPS, UH, GIVES US BETTER SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.
WE ALSO, UH, HAVE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF RESTROOM FACILITIES WITHIN THE EOC OVER THE PAST YEAR.
UH, WE LEARNED THAT LESSON FROM IDA.
WHEN YOU'RE HERE FOR 14 DAYS AND YOU CAN'T LEAVE, UH, THOSE TYPE OF AMENITIES ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
WE'VE UPGRADED OUR SHELTER TRAINING TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SHELTERS.
SARA BABCOCK WILL GO INTO THE DEC DETAILS FOR THAT.
WE'VE ALSO UPGRADED OUR GENERATOR CONTRACTS FOR OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND FOR OUR SHELTERS.
UH, ALL OUR TREATMENT PLANS HAVE BACKUP GENERATORS.
THEY'VE ALL BEEN CHECKED AND THEY ARE READY TO GO.
WE HAVE OUR GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT COMPLETED A WIND CAPABILITY STUDY OF ALL OUR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO WE HAVE A VERY GOOD IDEA NOW OF WHICH BUILDINGS ARE MOST RESILIENT.
WE'VE UPGRADED OUR FUEL CONTRACTS AND DOUBLED THE AMOUNT OF FUEL THAT WE, THAT WE NOW STORE PRE-STORM.
ALSO OUR FLEET MANAGEMENT, WHICH OVERSEES THAT.
UH, FUEL HAS THE ABILITY TO SET UP TWO EMERGENCY POWER PSYCHS TO KEEP OUR FLEET MOVING WITH FUEL.
THAT INCLUDES DIESEL AND GASOLINE AND AN EMERGENCY CONTRACT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SITES IF WE HAVE TO ON A PROLONGED EVENT.
WE ALSO HAVE 700 TIER ONE ESSENTIAL DUTY EMPLOYEES, AND THOSE ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE SPECIFIC JOBS THAT ARE SHELTERED, PRE-STORM,
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AND THEN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE STORM, WHEREVER, TO HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND ADDRESSING OUR POST DAMAGE ASSESSMENT.AND THAT'S A CRITICAL PHASE OF WHAT WE DO.
'CAUSE WE HAVE TO ASSESS WHAT'S BROKEN, FIX IT BEFORE WE CAN REALLY AFFECT THE RECOVERY.
SO WE'VE DEFINITELY HARDENED THAT ENTIRE PROCESS ISSUE.
WE TRY TO PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE AS TO GET THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO BE PREPARED, NOT ONLY JUST IN CASE YOU HAVE TO SHELTER IN PLACE, BUT IF YOU HAVE TO EVACUATE.
WE CANNOT RELY ON THE FACT THAT WE LIVE WITHIN AN INCREDIBLE ARY PROTECTION SYSTEM.
IT HAS DONE A FANTASTIC JOB AT KEEPING STORM SURGES OUT, BUT IT ALSO MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO PUMP RAIN RAINWATER OUT.
I BRING THAT OUT BECAUSE IN 2017, HURRICANE HARVEY DUMPED 24 TRILLION GALLONS OF WATER ON THE METRO HOUSTON AREA AND 5 TRILLION ON LOUISIANA.
NOW, WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT THAT IS THAT THAT STORM HIT CORPUS CHRISTI AND IT AFFECTED US WITH 5 TRILLION GALLONS OF WATER, 288 MILES AWAY.
THE POINT THERE IS THAT WE DO NOT WANT THE PUBLIC FOCUSING ON THE CENTER LINE OF THAT AONE.
AND EVEN ON THE OUTER EDGES, THE OUTER EDGES AT 72 HOURS ARE ONLY 160 MILES APART FROM EDGE TO EDGE.
HARVEY REACHED OVER 288 MILES.
SO DON'T THINK BECAUSE YOU'RE ON THE EDGE OF THE CONE THAT YOU'RE SAFE, YOU'RE NOT.
THE POTENTIAL FOR RISK AND THREATS ARE STILL THERE, AND EVERY HURRICANE IS DIFFERENT.
AS THE PARISH PRESIDENT SAID, THE TREND SINCE 2016 IS FOR RAPID INTENSIFICATION STORMS. THE TAKE AWAY FROM THAT IS THAT WE HAVE LESS TIME TO PREPARE AND LESS TIME TO MAKE THAT CRITICAL DI DECISION TO GET YOUR FAMILY, YOUR PETS AND EVACUATE OUT OF THE AREA.
ANOTHER THING THAT I WANNA STRESS, DO NOT WAIT FOR CONTRAFLOW.
CONTRAFLOW WAS DESIGNED AS THE MECHANISM OF LAST RESORT.
IT WAS NOT DESIGNED TO ALLOW CITIZENS TO WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE TO EVACUATE.
THAT'S NOT WHAT IT'S THERE FOR.
IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP US FOR ALL THE EFFORTS THAT WE DO.
STAY WEATHER ALERT, LISTEN TO YOUR RADIO, TO YOUR TELEVISION STATION, SOCIAL MEDIA THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE VETTED ORGANIZATIONS.
AND IF YOU STAY WEATHER AWARE AND YOU HAVE A GOOD ASSESSMENT OF WHAT'S GOING ON, YOU'RE GONNA MAKE A BETTER DECISION AS TO WHETHER TO EVACUATE OR NOT.
ON THAT NOTE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, SARAH.
AS YOU'VE HEARD BEFORE ME, UH, WHAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING AND AND TRYING TO STRESS TO THE PUBLIC TODAY IS THESE RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING STORMS AND THE DECREASED TIMELINE WE HAVE.
AND SO IN A PARISH ALONG WITH OUR REGIONAL AND STATE PARTNERS, WE'VE DONE A NUMBER OF THINGS OVER THE PAST YEAR TO IMPROVE OUR EVACUATION PROCESS.
WE'VE LOOKED FOR WAYS TO EVACUATE IN A SHORTER TIMELINE.
WE'VE LOOKED FOR WAYS TO EVACUATE JUST OUR MOST MEDICALLY VULNERABLE, UM, AND ALLOWING EVERYONE ELSE TO SHELTER IN PLACE.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO DISCUSSED THE OPTION.
THERE MAY BE SITUATIONS WHERE WE CANNOT EVACUATE AND PEOPLE WILL NEED TO SHELTER IN PLACE IN THEIR HOMES.
AND SO BEING ABLE TO IMPLEMENT A POST STORM EVACUATION AFTER THAT STORM, UM, MAY ALSO BE A POSSIBILITY.
UM, IF YOU ARE EVACUATING, UM, FOR, AND YOU DO NOT HAVE A CAR, WE DO HAVE AN EVACUATION PROCESS WE WANNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF.
SO IN A MANDATORY EVACUATION, WE WILL LET THE PUBLIC KNOW IF WE WILL DO PARISH ASSISTED EVACUATION, INDIVIDUALS WILL BE ABLE TO GO TO A BUS STOP, GET ON A BUS, GO TO A CENTRALIZED EVACUATION POINT, AND THEN BE TAKEN TO STATE SHELTERS OUT OF SIDE OF THE REGION.
UM, THIS, THIS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED IT, INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE MEDICAL NEEDS AND THEIR PETS AS WELL.
UM, THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN UPDATED.
WE, UM, HAVE BEEN TRAINING ON THIS, UM, DOING MORE TRAINING, GETTING MORE AGENCIES INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS, AND HAVE, UH, CHANGED SOME OF THE LOCATIONS TO BE ABLE TO GET MORE PEOPLE THROUGH IN A FASTER TIMEFRAME.
WE'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING ON OUR ABILITY TO SHELTER HERE LOCALLY POST STORM.
SO AS DIRECTOR VALIANTE MENTIONED, UH, WE HAVE BOUGHT NEW EQUIPMENT.
WE HAVE INTRODUCED, UM, NEW SHOWER TRAILERS.
WE HAVE AVAILABLE, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF FACILITIES WITH GENERATORS, UH, ON THEM ALL HURRICANE SEASON LONG.
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BEEN TRAINING.WE'VE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO PUT CONTRACTS IN PLACE.
WE'VE PARTICULARLY BEEN FOCUSED ON VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, SO MAKING SURE WE HAVE MULTIPLE LANGUAGE TRANSLATORS AND INTERPRETERS ON SITE, BEING ABLE TO HAVE PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANTS AND MEDICAL STAFF FOR THOSE WITH MEDICAL NEEDS AND IMPROVING, UM, THE SHELTERING CAPABILITIES FOR FAMILIES THAT HAVE PETS.
IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE HAVE A SERIOUS MEDICAL NEED WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO NEED EXTRA ASSISTANCE IN EVACUATING OR SHELTERING THIS STORM SEASON, WE DO HAVE A MEDICAL NEEDS REGISTRY WHERE PEOPLE CAN SIGN UP, UH, TO RECEIVE THAT EXTRA ASSISTANCE.
YOU CAN ENROLL BY GOING TO JEFF PARRS.NET, JP AWARE, OR BY CALLING 5 0 4 5 1 8 4 0 2 0.
FINALLY, WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO WANNA VOLUNTEER AND SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS.
SO JEFFERSON PARISH HAS A MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS THAT ANYONE CAN JOIN, BUT PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO HAVE A MEDICAL BACKGROUND TO ASSIST US IN SHELTERING AND EVACUATION PROCESSES.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING WITH US, YOU CAN GO TO JEFF PARISH.NET/PUBLIC HEALTH FOR MORE INFORMATION.
CAN YOU REPEAT THE WEBSITE FOR THE QUESTION? YES.
SO IF YOU GO TO JEFF PARRISH, UH, DOT NET, JP AWARE, UM, UNDER THE PREPARE BUTTON, YOU CAN GET TO THE MEDICAL NEEDS REGISTRY.
OKAY, NEXT, WE HAVE MADE OUR, OUR CITIZENS MADE AN IN INCREDIBLE INVESTMENT IN OUR PUBLIC WORK SYSTEM.
SO TO TALK ABOUT THAT AS MARK DREWS, UM, OVER PUBLIC WORKS AND THEN BEN LAPIN OVER OUR DRAINAGE.
I'M CONFIDENT THAT PUBLIC WORKS IS READY.
UH, WE SPENT THIS OFF SEASON DOING ALL OUR SCHEDULED EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT AND MAINTENANCE.
UH, AS WE DO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
WE CONTINUE TESTING SO OUR FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT ARE READY TO GO.
BUT WHAT REALLY MAKES ME MOST CONFIDENT, WE HAVE 700 EMPLOYEES THAT ARE DEDICATED, WILLING TO WORK A STORM EVENT.
THEY'LL WORK RIGHT UP UNTIL THE STORM HITS, THEY'LL HUNKER DOWN THROUGH THE STORM AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THEY'LL BE OUT IN THE FIELD, THEY'LL BE ASSESSING DAMAGE AND STARTING THAT, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE RESTORATION.
UH, WITH REGARD TO OUR WATER AND OUR SEWER SYSTEMS, OUR EAST BANK AND WEST BANK WATER PLANTS, THEY HAVE SAFE HOUSES ON SITE.
SO IN A CAT FOUR OR FIVE STORM, THEY CAN GO INTO THOSE, UH, SAFE HOUSES VIA AUTOMATION.
THEY CAN RUN THOSE PLANTS DURING THE STORM AND THEY CAN IMMEDIATELY RETURN, UH, AND JUST BASICALLY WALK RIGHT INTO THE PLANT AFTER, UH, IF WE HAVE AN EXTENSIVE ENERGY OUTAGE.
UH, THEY DO HAVE BACKUP GENERATION THAT CAN RUN THE ENTIRE PLANT, BUT ON SITE THEY ALSO HAVE THAT FIVE DAY SUPPLY OF FUEL.
SIMILAR TO THAT, ALL OUR MAJOR, UH, WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS HAVE THE SAME BACKUP GENERATION CAPABILITY.
WE HAVE ONE MAJOR PLANT ON THE EAST BANK, FOUR IN THE WEST BANK, AND THEY ALSO HAVE ON SITE THAT FIVE DAY SUPPLY OF FUEL.
IN ADDITION, OUR STREETS DEPARTMENT WITH OUR PARKWAYS DEPARTMENT AND TRAFFIC DIVISION, THEY HAVE THE EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS NECESSARY TO IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE STORM GO OUT, OUR CLOSING ROADS AS NECESSARY, CUTTING TREES AND CLEARING ROADS AS NECESSARY AND BEGIN THE RESTORATION OF ANY DAMAGE TRAFFIC SIGNAL SYSTEMS. AND FINALLY, WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS ALL OF OUR MAJOR DIVISIONS, UH, WE HAVE OUR WATER, SEWER STREETS AND DRAINAGE HAVE EMERGENCY CONTRACTS IN PLACE.
SO IF ANY EVENT OF AN EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, WE CAN QUICKLY GET ADDITIONAL MANPOWER AND EQUIPMENT ON SITE, UH, TO HELP US RECOVER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO WITH THAT SAID, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO BEN LAPIN, THE DRAINAGE DIRECTOR TO TALK ABOUT OUR OTHER CRITICAL ASSET, OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEM.
THE DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT IS READY FOR THIS YEAR'S HURRICANE SEASON.
WE PREPARE ALL YEAR BY TESTING OUR PUMPS, ENGINES, GENERATORS.
ON A WEEKLY BASIS, WE TREAT EVERY CLOCK CATCH BASIN CANAL.
BANK FAILURE MECHANICAL ISSUE IS AN EMERGENCY TO ENSURE WE'RE STORM READY, 365 DAYS A YEAR.
WE MAINTAIN 340 MILES OF OPEN CANAL, 1,460 MILES OF SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE, AND 74 PUMP STATIONS, WHICH OPERATE 194 PUMPS.
CURRENTLY 191 ARE IN OPERATION.
THE THREE THAT ARE DAM ARE BEING REPAIRED AND WILL BE BACK UP BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK.
BEFORE HURRICANE SEASON, WE HAVE 14 SAFE ROOMS FOR OPERATORS TO, TO HUNKER DOWN AND, AND SAFELY MONITOR AND OPERATE THE PUMP STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE PARISH.
AND LASTLY, WITH MORE THAN 80,000 CATCH BASINS, PARISH WIDE, ANY HELP FROM RESIDENTS TO KEEP THESE BASINS CLEAR FROM DEBRIS, WE'LL ENSURE WE GET THE MOST OUT OF OUR SYSTEM.
AND I KNOW POST STORM, EVERYBODY'S LOOKING AT THE REST OF THESE, UM, AGENCIES AND PARTNERS WE HAVE.
SO, UM, ENERGY'S ALWAYS A BIG ONE.
SO ENERGY, OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE, UM, MANAGER, JIMMY AIKEN AND ATMOS
[00:25:01]
ENERGY PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER, LEAH OBIE, YOU CAN GO FIRST.UM, JUST WANNA GO AHEAD AND SAY THAT ENERGY IS PREPARED FOR THE 2024 STORM SEASON.
AS COUNCILMAN WALKER SAID, UM, ALL IT TAKES IS ONE STORM TO MAKE IT A BAD SEASON.
UH, STORM PREPARATION IS CONTINUOUS FOR US OVER AT ENTERGY.
AND AS WE ENTER THE 2024 STORM SEASON, WE ARE HOPING FOR THE BEST, BUT WE'RE ALSO PREPARED FOR THE WORST.
OUR PERSONNEL ARE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN ANNUAL STORM DRILLS TO HELP US BETTER PREPARE FOR ANY EMERGENCY EVENT.
WE HAVE A RESTORATION PLAN IN PLACE THAT WE FEEL IS AN EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO RESTORE POWER IN THE EVENT OF ANY OUTAGE.
WE'RE ALWAYS WORKING TO IMPROVE OUR POWER GRID BY INSTALLING NEW POLES AND CROSS ARMS AND UPGRADING EQUIPMENT TO EXCEED INDUSTRY STANDARDS.
WE'RE ALSO ACTIVELY TRIMMING VEGETATION, UH, AND BY TRIMMING TREES AND LIMBS AWAY FROM ANY POWER LINES TO MINIMIZE ANY VEGETATE VEGETATIVE RELATED OUTAGES.
AND ALSO TOO, WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR GRID TO MAKE IT MORE RESILIENT WITH THE EFFECTS OF THESE SEVERE WEATHER STORMS THAT WE HAVE COMING IN DURING HURRICANE SEASON.
IN THE EVENT OF A STORM, WE IN OUR CON CONTRACT AND MUTUAL AID PARTNERS WILL MOBILIZE AND BE READY TO RESPOND.
WE HAVE MANY DEDICATED EMPLOYEES THAT WILL WORK TIRELESSLY TO GET THE LIGHTS BACK ON IN THE EVENT OF AN OUTAGE.
AND SINCE WE DO SERVE A LARGE PORTION OF, UH, SOUTH LOUISIANA, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SHIP WORKERS RESOURCES AND MATERIALS AS NEEDED DEPENDING ON WHERE THE HURRICANE MAKES LANDFALL.
JUST AS WE'RE PREPARED FOR THE 2024 SEASON, WE ARE ASKING OUR CUSTOMERS TO STAY PREPARED AS WELL.
CUSTOMERS SHOULD HAVE A PLAN BEFORE A STORM THREATENS OUR AREA.
STORMS ARE UNPREDICTABLE AND CAN HAVE DIFFERENT IMPACTS ON SURROUNDING AREAS.
CUSTOMERS SHOULD CREATE A KIT FOR WHAT THEY NEED, INCLUDING FIRST AID SUPPLIES AND PORTABLE PHONE CHARGERS.
AND THEY SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER TRIMMING TREES AND SHRUBS AWAY FROM THEIR HOMES AND PRE-CUTTING PLYWOOD TO PUT OVER WINDOWS TO REDUCE ANY DAMAGE ON THEIR HOME FROM A HURRICANE AND ANY HURRICANE OR, UM, CATASTROPHIC EVENT SAFETY IS CRITICAL AT ENERGY.
WE HAVE A SAYING THAT THE ONLY GOOD RESTORATION IS A SAFE RESTORATION.
THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF A STORM IS JUST AFTER IT IS PASSED.
SO WE ASK, OR EXCUSE ME, WANT TO REMIND OUR CUSTOMERS TO STAY AWAY FROM DOWN POWER LINES FOLLOWING A STORM.
WE'D ALSO ASK THAT YOU KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE FROM OUR WORKERS AND THEIR WORK SITES SO THAT WAY WE CAN STAY HEALTHY AND SAFE.
AND IF IN THE EVENT OF A POWER OUTAGE, IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE A GENERATOR, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'RE USING THE GENERATOR TO THE MANUFACTURER'S GUIDELINES WITH ANY STORM INFORMATION IS CRITICAL.
AND HERE ARE A FEW WAYS THAT YOU CAN STAY CONNECTED WITH ENERGY.
WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO DOWNLOAD THE ENERGY APP.
YOU CAN ALSO SIGN UP FOR TEXT ALERTS VIA YOUR ENERGY PROFILE.
PLEASE CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES AS WE WILL POST UPDATES ON RESTORATION EFFORTS AS WE, UM, RESTORE NEIGHBORHOODS.
YOU CAN CHECK UPDATES ON ENERGY STORM CENTER.COM AND THEN YOU CAN ALSO VIEW THE OUTAGE MAP AND OUR ENERGY APP TO SEE IF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS WITH POWER.
UH, I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY.
I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SAFE 2024 HURRICANE SEASON.
HI, LEAH OBIE WITH THAT MS. ENERGY.
UM, AT MS. ENERGY WANTS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TO BE SAFE IN ANY SITUATION.
IF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS IS AFFECTED BY FLOODING, TROPICAL STORMS, HURRICANES, OR A SIMILAR EVENT, WE WANNA REMIND OUR CUSTOMERS TO NOT USE NATURAL GAS EQUIPMENT IF IT IS FLOODED OR DAMAGED WITHOUT FIRST CONTACTING A QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSON TO HAVE IT INSPECTED.
IF YOU DO SUSPECT A NATURAL GAS LEAK OR THINK YOU SMELL NATURAL GAS INSIDE THE HOME OR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, ACT FAST, LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY AND FROM A SAFE DISTANCE, WE URGE YOU TO CALL 9 1 1 AND THE ATMOS ENERGY EMERGENCY NUMBER AT 1 8 6 6 3 2 2 8 6 6 7 ATMOS.
ENERGY SERVICE TECHNICIANS ARE EMERGENCY RESPONDERS AND NECESSARY FOR THE SAFE OPERATION OF OUR SYSTEM PERFORMING ESSENTIAL SERVICES TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE, WHETHER IT IS A STORM FLOODING OR OTHER SEVERE WEATHER EVENT.
PLEASE OBSERVE THESE TIPS TO STAY SAFE DURING A NATURAL DISASTER OR SEVERE WEATHER EVENT.
DO NOT TURN OFF NATURAL GAS AT THE METER EVEN IF EVACUATIONS ARE ISSUED.
IF YOU SMELL GAS, IMMEDIATELY LEAVE THE AFFECTED AREA AND FROM A SAFE DISTANCE, CALL 9 1 1 OR AT MS. ENERGY'S 24 HOUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE LINE, WHICH IS 1 8 6 6 3 2 2 8 6 6 7.
NEVER TRY TO FIND THE SOURCE OF A GAS LEAK.
DO NOT USE A MOBILE PHONE NEAR OR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT CAUSE
[00:30:01]
A SPARK SUCH AS A GENERATOR.IF FLOODING OCCURS AT A RESIDENCE OR BUSINESS AND THE GAS APPLIANCES ARE UNDERWATER, DO NOT TRY TO OPERATE THE APPLIANCES.
INSTEAD, CONTACT US AT MISS ENERGY OR A QUALIFIED SERVICE PROFESSIONAL TO CONDUCT A SAFETY INSPECTION.
IF A NATURAL GAS METER IS DAMAGED OR A GAS LINE IS EXPOSED, IMMEDIATELY LEAVE THE AREA AND CALL OUR EMERGENCY 24 HOUR RESPONSE LINE.
AND THAT NUMBER AGAIN IS 1 8 6 6 3 2 2 8 6 6 7.
KNOW WHERE YOUR NATURAL GAS METER IS LOCATED, PLEASE MAKE SURE IT'S VISIBLE AND FREE OF TRASH AND DEBRIS.
MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT USED TO CLEAN UP AFTER A STORM MAY DAMAGE THE METER IF IT IS HIDDEN.
SO NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION PIPELINES ARE MOSTLY UNDERGROUND THAT CAN BE DAMAGED BY UPROOTED TREES AND SHIFTED FOUNDATIONS AFTER A STORM CALL 8 1 1 TO HAVE THE LOCATION OF THE UNDERGROUND UTILITY LINES MARKED AS GAS SERVICE LINES COULD BECOME TANGLED ATMOS ENERGY.
CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCING A NATURAL GAS OUTAGE OR A SERVICE INTERRUPTION SHOULD CONTACT THE COMPANY'S CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER AT 1 8 8 8 2 8 6 6 7 0 0.
CUSTOMERS WILL BE RESTORED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE ONCE THE AREA IS DEEMED SAFE AND THE WINDS SUBSIDE TO 35 MILES PER HOUR.
WE ALSO HAVE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE AND CAN BE ACCESSED@ATMOSENERGY.COM.
AND THAT NUMBER FOR THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE LINE AGAIN IS 1 8 6 6 3 2 2 8 6 6 7.
WE ARE, UM, UNDERGOING ACTIVE HURRICANE OR PREP PRE-PREPARATION HURRICANE DRILLS.
SO WE WILL HAVE, UM, ALL OF OUR STAFF AND READY AND WAITING TO ANSWER ANY CALLS.
OKAY, NEXT IS AN OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR FIRST RESPONDER, UM, UH, RESPONSE, DIRECTOR OF WEST BANK FIRE SERVICES, DON ROBERTSON AND OUR DIRECTOR OF EAST BANK CONSOLIDATED FIRE DEPARTMENT, CHARLES HUDSON.
THE OFFICERS OF FIRE SERVICES WITH THE WEST BANK FIRE SERVICES, INCLUDING THE THIRD DISTRICT VOLUNTEERS, ALL PREPARED FOR THE 2024 HURRICANE SEASON.
DAILY FIREFIGHTERS WORK ON THEIR EQUIPMENT THAT WE USE DAILY IN EMERGENCY SERVICES, BUT JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, WE PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON OR INCLEMENT WEATHER.
WE HAVE BOATS THAT WE USE FOR WATER RESCUE.
WE NOW HAVE EQUIPMENT EXTRICATION, VEHICLE EXTRICATION EQUIPMENT, BATTERY POWER THAT WORKS UNDERWATER.
ONE OF THE PARISH'S PRESIDENTS PEES IS PEOPLE.
YOU CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE IN HEAVY RANGE WHERE THE ROAD IS AND WHERE THE CANAL IS CAUSE DRIVE IN CANALS.
OUR EQUIPMENT NOW WILL WORK UNDERWATER.
HOPEFULLY WE NEVER HAVE TO USE IT, BUT THERE IS VEHICLE EQUIPMENT, THERE'S VEHICLE VERIFICATION EQUIPMENT THAT WORKS UNDERWATER NOW.
ALSO, WE HAVE TO HAVE SPECIAL EQUIPMENT TO BE ABLE TO GET YOU OUT YOUR HOUSE IN CASE THE WATER RISES.
MANY MEMBERS OF THE JEFFERSON PARISH EMERGENCY SERVICES WERE TASKED SOME ALMOST 10 YEARS AGO TO GO TO BATON ROUGE IN THOSE FLOODS AND SEEN THAT AT THE LAST RESORT, PEOPLE HAD TO GET IN THEIR ATTICS BECAUSE THE WATER ROSE SO QUICKLY.
WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO BE ABLE TO GET THOSE PEOPLE OUT.
JUST AS EVERYONE SAID HERE, AS WE TAKE PRECAUTIONS, YOU NEED TO PAY PRECAUTIONS.
PLEASE LISTEN TO WHAT EVERYBODY'S SAYING HERE.
THE MORE PEOPLE THAT STAY IN JEFFERSON PARISH IN A MAJOR STORM MAKES THE FIRST RESPONDERS JOB A LOT TOUGHER.
IF YOU DECIDE THAT YOU'RE GONNA STAY HERE, AND OF COURSE WE ALL THINK THAT WE HAVE IT ALL SOLVED, YOU USE A GENERATOR AND YOU CAN USE THAT GENERATOR.
PLEASE HAVE THAT GENERATOR CHECKED AND IF YOU'RE GONNA USE THAT GENERATOR, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR IN YOUR HOME.
IT IS ODORLESS, IT IS, YOU CANNOT SEE IT, AND IT IS THE SILENT KILLER.
LET'S ALL BE PREPARED FOR THIS HURRICANE SEASON.
GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
EAST BANK CONSOLIDATED FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS REVIEWED OUR EMERGENCY PLANS, TESTED OUR MOBILE ASSETS, AND PREPARED OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS ROOM FOR WHAT WE HOPE TO BE IN 9 20 24 HURRICANE SEASON FOR LOUISIANA.
WE KNOW THAT THE WEATHER IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA IS SO UNPREDICTABLE, SO WE'VE BEGUN YEAR ROUND EFFORTS OF PREPARING US TO LET NOT LET OUR GUARD DOWN.
THIS YEAR WE'VE ADDED A FEW ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR RESCUE EQUIPMENT.
WE HAVE HIGH WATER RESCUE TRUCKS FOR BOTH JEFFERSON
[00:35:01]
PARISH FIRE DEPARTMENT AND ALSO JUSTIN PARISH FIRE SERVICES THAT WILL HELP US WITH THOSE FLOOD FLOOD FLOWING AREAS.OUR US OUR CREWS HAVE BEEN BUSY MAINTAINING, INVENTORYING OUR WATER ASSETS TO KEEP US READILY AVAILABLE TO RESPOND AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE.
OUR NEW CONCERN THAT WE WANT TO SHARE WITH OUR CITIZENS IS THE USE OR NON-USE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
UM, AND TROPICAL WEATHER COMES OUR WAY.
IF YOU EVACUATE WITH AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE, EV VEHICLES, PLEASE PLAN AN EARLY EXIT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN A SLOW DELAYED TRAFFIC MOVEMENT.
PREPARE A TRAFFIC GUIDE FOR EVACUATION ROUTES TO KNOW WHERE EV CHARGING REST RESOURCES MAY BE FOUND.
IF YOU NEED TO RECHARGE DURING AN EVACUATION EFFORT, THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE DATA HAS SHOWN A FEW ISSUES WITH EV CHARGING SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
THE MOST COMMON ISSUE WITH EV CHARGING STATIONS ARE STATION CONNECTIVITY IS DOWN 55% INTERNAL STATIONS WITH FAULT OR ERRORS, 38% AND CHARGING CONNECTIONS OF CABLES AT 4%.
ADDITIONALLY, FOR THOSE LEAVING THE EMERGENCY VEHICLES BEHIND, IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO PARK YOUR VEHICLE AT THE HIGHEST POINT AVAILABLE TO YOU AND LEAVE IT UNPLUGGED FROM YOUR CHARGING SYSTEMS. THIS IS A HIGH CONCERN FOR FIRST RESPONDERS RELATIVE TO EB VEHICLES IN FLOOD PERMANENT AREAS.
FINALLY, JUSTIN PARISH PUBLIC JUSTIN PARISH FIRE DEPARTMENT IS READY TO ASSIST WITH THE PUBLIC ASSISTED EVACUATION TEAMS. UH, ONCE THOSE SYSTEMS ARE ACTIVATED, WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF HELPING THOSE IN NEED OF EVACUATION AND WE WILL BE THERE TO SUPPORT THE EFFORTS.
JUSTIN PARISH FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDS READY AND WILLING TO DO OUR PART TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY IF CALLED UPON IN 20 14, 20 24, SORRY.
UH, IN ONE MESSAGE THAT I THINK YOU SHOULD HEAR FROM ALL OF US IS MAKE A PLAN.
NEXT IS OUR FLOOD PROTECTION AUTHORITY.
UM, FROM THE WEST IS JESSE NOEL, AND FROM THE EAST IS STACEY GILMORE.
I AM JESSE NOEL AND I'M HONORED TO REPRESENT THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA FLOOD PROTECTION AUTHORITY WEST.
TODAY AS WE PREPARED FOR THE UPCOMING HURRICANE SEASON, THE FLOOD AUTHORITY OPERATES 80 MILES OF FLOOD GATES AND LEVEES AS PART OF A SYSTEM THAT PROTECTS APPROXIMATELY 250,000 RESIDENTS AND BILLIONS IN PROPERTY VALUES ON THE WEST BANK.
WE HAVE SPENT THE LAST SIX MONTHS UPGRADING SYSTEMS AND INSPECTING AND MAINTAINING OUR LEVEES GATES AND PUMPS.
WE HAVE REGULARLY EXERCISED OUR THREE MAIN SECTOR GATES IN PUMPING SYSTEMS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE WORKING AS DESIGNED.
WE HAVE IMMENSE CONFIDENCE IN OUR SYSTEM.
THE WEST BANK TRULY HAS THE BEST FLOOD PROTECTION IT HAS EVER HAD DURING HURRICANE IDA.
IN 2021, OUR SYSTEM PERFORMED EXACTLY AS DESIGNED, PROTECTING RESIDENTS AND STRUCTURES ON THE WEST BANK OF JEFFERSON AND ORLEANS.
THIS SEASON, AS IN EVERY SEASON, YOU CAN TRUST THAT WE WILL OPERATE THE SYSTEM IN COORDINATION WITH PARISH AND STATE OFFICIALS AND THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS, BUT WE ASK CITIZENS TO PAY ATTENTION TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND HEED THEIR WARNINGS OF A STORM APPROACHES.
OF COURSE, WE DON'T HOPE FOR A STORM, BUT WE ARE PREPARED AND WE AND OUR WEST BANK NEIGHBORS WILL GET TO THE SEASON TOGETHER.
I REPRESENT THE PUBLIC, I'M SORRY.
I'M THE PUBLIC INFORMATION DIRECTOR FOR THE FLOOD AUTHORITY EAST.
WE MANAGE THE RISK REDUCTION SYSTEM THAT IS EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND THAT INCLUDES EAST JEFFERSON ORLEANS AND ST.
WE ARE OPERATING AND MAINTAINING THE COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDES 192 MILES OF LEVIES AND FLOOD WALLS.
400, I'M SORRY, 246 LAND-BASED FLOODGATES AND THREE PUMPING STATIONS AT THE OUTFALL CANALS.
WE ALSO HAVE THE 1.8 MILE LONG SURGE BARRIER THAT BLOCKS THAT STORM SURGE FROM LAKE BOURNE AS WELL AS THE GULF OF MEXICO.
WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR ANNUAL INSPECTIONS IN JEFFERSON PARISH AND ALL OTHER INSPECTIONS WILL BE COMPLETED BEFORE JUNE 1ST.
WE ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED WITH OUR PARTNERS CONTIN TO CONTINUE OUR PREPARATIONS FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON.
LATER THIS MONTH, WE ARE CONDUCTING OUR HURRICANE TABLETOP EXERCISE.
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS IS A RISK REDUCTION SYSTEM, WHICH MEANS WE CAN NEVER TRULY ELIMINATE RISK.
THE TIME IS NOW TO CREATE YOUR PLANS, STOCK UP ON SUPPLIES AND STAY WEATHER AWARE.
I'VE INVITED OUR, UM, HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF GREATER NEW ORLEANS.
THEY'VE REALLY PARTNERED WITH US JUST BECAUSE OF THE INSURANCE CRISIS AND THE NEW ROOF PERMITTING THAT WE'VE HAD AND THEY'VE PARTNERED WITH US IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS ON NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION SIDE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY DOING NOW.
SO DAN MILLS, UM, THE CEO OF HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF GREATER NEW ORLEANS.
AS WE APPROACH THE START OF HURRICANE SEASON ON JUNE 1ST, IT'S CRUCIAL FOR US TO ENSURE OUR HOMES ARE PREPARED TO WITHSTAND POTENTIAL
[00:40:01]
STORMS. TODAY I'LL BE SHARING SOME ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR HOMEOWNERS IN JEFFERSON PARISH TO SAFEGUARD THEIR PROPERTIES.FIRSTLY, CONSIDER INVESTING IN A WIND MITIGATION SURVEY CONDUCTED BY AN L-S-U-C-C-C LICENSED SURVEYOR FOR AROUND $300.
THIS SURVEY CAN IDENTIFY UPGRADES TO ENHANCE YOUR HOME'S RESILIENCE.
THE GOOD NEWS IS MOST HOMEOWNERS WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR INSURANCE DISCOUNTS AND MITIGATION EXPENSES ARE DEDUCTIBLE FROM LOUISIANA INCOME TAXES UP TO $5,000 IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
AS THE PARISH PRESIDENT MENTIONED WHEN REPLACING A ROOF, IT IS NOW MANDATORY TO OBTAIN A REDUCED COST $50 ROOFING PERMIT AND INSPECTION.
THIS STEP ENSURES THAT THE REPLACEMENT IS DOCUMENTED IN THE PUBLIC RECORD, HIGHLIGHTING ADHERENCE TO NEW, MORE RESILIENT CODE REQUIREMENTS.
THE CODES THAT WE IMPLEMENTED AND BECAME LAW LAST YEAR ARE THE MOST RESILIENT ON THE GULF COAST.
AND INSURANCE CARRIERS NEED ASSURANCE THAT THOSE CODES ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED.
JEFFERSON PARISH IS LEADING THE WAY WITH THIS INITIATIVE, AND THE DATA COLLECTED WILL ENCOURAGE INSURANCE CARRIERS TO RETURN TO OUR PARISH SOONER.
IT'S ESSENTIAL TO PROTECT YOUR HOME THROUGH REGULAR MAINTENANCE.
TRIM BACK TREES AND SHRUBS, CLEAR GUTTERS, DOWNSPOUTS AND DRAINS OF DEBRIS TO PREVENT WATER COOLING.
INSPECT DOORS AND WINDOWS FOR DAMAGES, CRACKS GAPS, AND MAKE REPAIRS PROMPTLY TO FORTIFY YOUR HOME AGAINST POTENTIAL STORM DAMAGE BEFORE THE SEASON HITS, INSPECT AND MAINTAIN ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT SUCH AS GENERATORS, WATER PUMPS, CHAINSAWS, AND CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS.
ENSURE THEY ARE IN SAFE WORKING ORDER.
CHECK HURRICANE SHUTTERS FOR DAMAGES OR CRACKS AND REPLACE ANY DAMAGED PANELS.
ADDITIONALLY, CONSIDER PRE-CUTTING PLYWOOD WINDOW AND DOOR COVERINGS FROM FIVE EIGHTHS INCH PLYWOOD FOR EASY DEPLOYMENT WHEN NEEDED.
LASTLY, CONSULT WITH TRADE AND INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS TO ADDRESS YOUR HOME'S UNIQUE NEEDS.
REACH OUT TO YOUR INSURANCE PROFESSIONAL TO UNDERSTAND YOUR COVERAGE AND CLAIMS PROCESS IN ADVANCE.
HAVE A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN INSPECT YOUR GENERATOR ELECTRICAL HOOKUPS FOR SAFETY.
ANY GENERATOR CONNECTED TO A HOME DIRECTLY REPRESENTS A FIRE RISK AND MUST BE INSTALLED BY A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF YOUR FAMILY AND PROPERTY AND SPEAK WITH A ROOFING PROFESSIONAL TO ADDRESS ANY ROOF COVERINGS AHEAD OF THE SEASON.
IN CONCLUSION, BY TAKING PROACTIVE STEPS LIKE THESE, WE CAN BETTER PROTECT OUR HOMES AND OUR COMMUNITY FROM THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF HURRICANES.
VISIT HBA GNO.ORG FOR CONSUMER RESOURCING ON ALL OF THESE TOPICS TO FIND A LICENSED LOCAL CONTRACTOR OR TO REGISTER FOR OUR STORM PREP EVENT ON MAY 31ST, LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE A SAFER, MORE RESILIENT FUTURE FOR JEFFERSON PARISH.
AND CERTAINLY IN TIMES OF CRISIS AND, AND AND CERTAINLY IN TIMES OF STORM, WE KNOW COMMUNICATION IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.
UM, FROM COX COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS WILL HAVE CHRISTINA LEGASSE FROM AT AND T.
UM, THE LOUISIANA REGIONAL DIRECTOR IS ERIC JONES FROM VER VERIZON.
RESPONSE TEAM MANAGER IS TRENT GRIGGS, AND THEN THE T-MOBILE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM DEPLOYMENT MANAGER IS NICOLE HUDMAN.
CHRISTINA RAI, DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FOR COX COMMUNICATIONS.
WE AT COX KNOW IT'S FRUSTRATING WHEN SEVERE WEATHER AND OUTAGES IMPACT YOUR SERVICES.
THAT'S WHY WE'LL WORK HARD TO GET YOU RECONNECTED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
OUR EMPLOYEES ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR PREPAREDNESS EFFORTS WITH MORE THAN 2000 HOURS LOGGED IN TRAINING AND ACTIVE RECOVERY EFFORTS ANNUALLY THROUGH ONGOING TRAINING PROGRAMS. OVER 600 EMPLOYEES ARE SKILLED IN BUSINESS CONTINUITY PROCESSES AND INCIDENT COMMAND TO NAVIGATE EVEN THE MOST COMPLEX OF DISASTER SCENARIOS.
WHEN AN OUTAGE OCCURS, OUR TECHNICIANS ARE READY TO ASSIST AS SOON AS IT IS SAFE FOR THEM TO DO SO.
OUR SERVICES DEPEND ON COMMERCIAL POWER, SO WE OFTEN FOLLOW THE PATH OF THE POWER COMPANY WHEN WE'RE STORING YOUR SERVICES.
THE BEST WAY FOR CUSTOMERS TO STAY UP TO DATE DURING THE STORM RECOVERY PROCESS AND TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN WE WE'VE CLEARED OUTAGES IN YOUR AREA, IT'S TO SIGN UP FOR TEXT ALERTS ON THE COX APP OR ON COX.COM.
WE'VE ALSO INTRODUCED TWO NEW WAYS TO KEEP OUR CUSTOMERS UP TO SPEED WHEN OUTAGES OCCUR.
FIRST, WE HAVE LAUNCHED PROACTIVE OUTAGE NOTIFICATIONS.
WHEN AN OUTAGE OCCURS, WE WILL TEXT OUR CUSTOMERS AND LET THEM KNOW WHEN WE EXPECT SERVICES TO BE RESTORED.
WE ALSO TEXT WHEN THE OUTAGE IS CLEAR SO YOU CAN CONFIRM IF YOUR SERVICE IS WORKING.
SECOND, CUSTOMERS CAN NOW ACCESS OUR NEW SERVICE OUTAGE MAP THAT OFFERS REALTIME
[00:45:01]
INFORMATION.VISIT THE COX APP OR COX.COM/SLASH OUTAGE WHERE YOU'LL BE PROMPTED TO SIGN INTO YOUR COX ACCOUNT TO VIEW OUR SERVICE OUTAGE MAP.
ONCE YOU'RE LOGGED IN, YOU CAN VIEW A MAP SHOWING THE OUTAGE STATUS AT YOUR ADDRESS.
BE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR TEXT MESSAGES FOR UPDATES ABOUT ESTIMATED RESOLUTION TIMES.
BUT OUR COMMITMENT TO PREPAREDNESS DOESN'T STOP THERE.
WE'RE PROMOTING SAFETY THROUGH INITIATIVES LIKE THE DON'T CUT CABLE INITIATIVE.
IT'S CRUCIAL FOR EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE LINES FROM UTILITY POLES.
AND WE URGE OUR CUSTOMERS TO LEAD THIS TASK TO THE PROFESSIONALS.
IF YOU SEE A LINE DOWN ON YOUR PROPERTY OR AT YOUR HOME, JUST CONTACT US AT CODS.COM/CHAT AND WE WILL ARRANGE A TIME FOR A TECHNICIAN TO COME AND REMOVE OR REPAIR IT.
COX IS COMMITTED TO WORKING CLOSELY WITH JEFFERSON PARISH AND OUR SERVICE PROVIDER PARTNERS TO ENSURE WE ARE WELL PREPARED FOR THE 2024 HURRICANE SEASON.
THANK YOU MADAM PRESIDENT FOR COORDINATES.
COORDINATING THIS CONVERSATION AND INVITING AT AND T TO PARTICIPATE.
OVER THE YEARS, WE'VE SEEN REPEATED EXAMPLES OF THE VALUE IN COLLABORATION BETWEEN OUR VARIOUS INTERNAL TEAMS AT AT AND T AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, STATE GOVERNMENTS, AND MANY OTHERS WHO ARE DEDICATED TO THE STRENGTH OF LOCAL ECONOMIES AND AREA COMMUNITIES.
WITHOUT QUESTION, WE HAVE SEEN THE VALUE OF COLLABORATION RIGHT HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH ON MANY OCCASIONS.
OVER THE YEARS IN THAT COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A LONG HISTORY OF INVESTING IN JEFFERSON PARISH AND ACROSS THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
WHILE VIEWERS AND RESIDENTS ARE AT HOME PREPARING AT T IS DOING ITS PART HARD AT WORK WITH ITS OWN PREPARATION, AT T IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING RELIABLE COMMUNICATION BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A STORM OR DISASTER.
WE HAVE A TEAM OF METEOROLOGISTS WHO HELP MONITOR OUR NETWORK 24 7 AND CAN DEPLOY RESOURCES TO A DISASTER AREA VERY QUICKLY.
WE HAVE ONE OF THE INDUSTRY'S LARGEST AND MOST ADVANCED DISASTER RECOVERY PROGRAMS TO HELP KEEP WIRELESS AND WIRELINE COMMUNICATION RUNNING DURING TIMES OF DISASTER BEFORE HURRICANES.
OUR TEAMS ARE BOOSTING NETWORK CAPACITY TO ACCOMMODATE INCREASED CALLS.
WE TEST THE HIGH CAPACITY BACKUP OF BATTERIES LOCATED AT CELL SITES.
WE STAGE EXTENDED BATTERY LIFE AND PORTABLE GENERATORS AND MAINTAINED EXISTING FIXED GENERATORS.
WE TOP OFF GENERATORS WITH FUEL THAT SELL SITES AND SWITCHING FACILITIES.
WE STAGE ADDITIONAL GENERATORS IN SAFE LOCATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE DEPLOYMENT.
ONCE A STORM HAS PASSED, OUR NATIONAL DISASTER RECOVERY TEAM MAINTAINED MAINTAINS A STAGE FLEET OF EQUIPMENT AT MORE THAN 20 WAREHOUSES AND STAGING YARDS, ALLOWING FOR A RAPID RESPONSE ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, INCLUDING A STAGING YARD IN KEN, LOUISIANA.
IN SHORT, OUR TEAMS ARE TRAINED, EXPERIENCED, AND PREPARED TO ACT SWIFTLY TO RESPOND TO STORM EVENTS AND HELP RESTORE COMMUNICATIONS QUICKLY.
THE BEST WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH AT&T IS BY DOWNLOADING THE MY ATT APP ONLINE VIA ATT.COM OR VIA VIA PHONE +1 800-288-2020.
THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TODAY.
I'M TRENT GRIGGS WITH VERIZON FRONTLINE.
I'M YOUR CRISIS RESPONSE MANAGER FOR THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
VERIZON IS READY FOR HURRICANE SEASON.
WE TREAT EVERY DAY AS THOUGH IT'S HURRICANE SEASON OR FOR MARDI GRAS SEASON WITH THE ABILITY TO RAPIDLY EXPAND NETWORK CAPACITY WITH MOBILE ASSETS.
AS WE'RE DOING TODAY FOR JAZZ FESTIVAL, VERIZON CONTINUES OUR NETWORK GROWTH BY ADDING OVER 50 NEW SMALL CELL SITES AND 24 MACRO LARGE AREA SITES HAVE BEEN UPGRADED IN THE PAST YEAR.
THIS HAS TRIPLED OUR CAPACITY JUST HERE IN JEFFERSON AND IN ORLEANS PARISHES.
WE'VE ALSO ADDED 5G UH, C-BAND AND OSHA WIDEBAND SERVICES FOR HIGH DATA USERS, NOT ONLY IN THIS AREA, BUT ALSO ON THE NORTH SHORE.
THE VERIZON FRONTLINE CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM AND THE NETWORK TEAM STAND READY TO ASSIST OUR PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES WITH PRIORITY SERVICES.
WE ALSO HAVE OVER 500 MOBILE ASSETS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR NETWORK RESTORATION.
ALL OF OUR CELL SITES ARE EQUIPPED WITH STANDALONE GENERATORS AS WELL AS BATTERY BACKUP.
WE ALSO MAINTAIN A FLEET OF GENERATORS THAT CAN BE DEPLOYED FOR, FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, WHETHER IT'S NETWORK FOR BUILDING ASSETS OR ANYTHING THAT THAT IS NECESSARY FOR NETWORK RESTORATION.
WE'VE PARTNERED WITH TOP LEVEL FIRST RESPONDER AGENCIES FROM THE FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS.
ALL OF THEM WE'VE MET WITH MULTIPLE TIMES
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AND ARE PART OF THEIR PACE PLANS AND THEIR DISASTER RESPONSE EFFORTS.GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU MADAM PRESIDENT.
MY NAME IS NICOLE HUETT AND I'M T-MOBILE'S, UH, EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM, SEGMENT ADVISOR AND ESF TWO LEAD.
I WANNA THANK YOU FOR HAVING T-MOBILE AND OUR FRIENDS AND OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS HERE AGAIN TODAY TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO THIS HURRICANE SEASON.
YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE WORKED WITH NUMEROUS TEAMS THAT ARE HERE TODAY TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE OF JEFFERSON PARISH AND THROUGHOUT LOUISIANA GETTING THE CONNECTIVITY WHERE IT'S NEEDED WHEN A HURRICANE HITS.
WE'VE SEEN THIS PARISH'S DEDICATION TO THE SAFETY, THE RESILIENCY AND RECOVERY.
AND T-MOBILE IS PROUD TO BE PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND THE VITAL ROLE THAT CRITICAL CONNECTIVITY HAS WHEN IT'S NEEDED THE MOST COMMUNICATION IS A LIFELINE DURING HURRICANES.
IT KEEPS PEOPLE CONNECTED WITH THEIR LOVED ONES AND ENABLES FIRST RESPONDERS AND PUBLIC SAFETY TO, TO DELIVER CRITICAL SERVICES.
AND IT ENABLES OUR BUSINESSES TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEIR COMMUNITIES.
YOU KNOW, AHEAD OF HURRICANE SEASON, T-MOBILE'S TAKEN BIG STEPS TO ENHANCE THE NETWORK READINESS AND THE RESPONSE EFFORTS ACROSS THE STATE.
T-MOBILE JUST COMPLETED A MULTI-YEAR STATEWIDE 5G NETWORK INVESTMENT THAT INCLUDES OVER 300 NEW CELL SITES THROUGHOUT LOUISIANA.
IT ALSO INCLUDES OVER 1800 UPGRADES TO EXISTING SITES.
WE ALSO HAVE INCREASED BACKUP POWER, UH, CAPACITY AT OUR NETWORK SWITCHES AND OUR POINTS OF PRESENCE IN OTHER CRITICAL SITES SO THAT OUR NETWORK CAN REMAIN RESILIENT AND RELIABLE DURING POWER OUTAGES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE CONDUCT EXTENSIVE READINESS EXERCISES WITH OUR REGIONAL NETWORK AND OUR DISASTER RECOVERY TEAMS. THESE EXERCISES HELP ENSURE THAT OUR NETWORK'S BACKUP AND RECOVERY SYSTEMS ARE FULLY OPERATIONAL AND READY TO PROVIDE RELIABLE SERVICE.
IN ADDITION, OUR NETWORK OPERATION CENTERS DILIGENTLY MONITOR NETWORK TRAFFIC AROUND THE CLOCK TO ENSURE RESILIENCY AND CAPACITY WHEN THERE'S HEIGHTENED DEMAND.
WE ALSO COLLABORATE WITH OUR WEATHER FORECASTING PARTNERS TO MONITOR HURRICANE'S PATH AND THE SEVERITY AND WHEN A STORM BEGINS TO FORM OUR ENGINEERS AND OUR TECHNICIANS POSITION.
QUICK DEPLOY MOBILE EQUIPMENT FOR WHEN RESTORATION AND RECOVERY MAY BE NEEDED.
THIS EQUIPMENT MAY INCLUDE PORTABLE CELL TOWERS, TRUCKS WITH SATELLITE BACK HAUL, HEAVY DUTY WIFI VEHICLE, 5G DRONES, AND OTHER ASSETS THAT DELIVER CONNECTIVITY AND ESSENTIAL, UH, SUPPLIES TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
WE ALSO WORK HAND IN HAND WITH YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTERS TO DELIVER NETWORK SERVICES TO ESTABLISH CONNECTIVITY AND TO PRIORITIZE RESTORATION EFFORTS.
BEFORE I WRAP UP, I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE EVERYONE IN JEFFERSON PARISH TO DOWNLOAD IMPORTANT APPS LIKE FEMA AND THE AMERICAN RED CROSS.
IF YOU ARE A T-MOBILE CUSTOMER, FOLLOW US ON X AT T DASH MOBILE NEWS.
YOU CAN GET IMPORTANT INFORMATION BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A MAJOR STORM HITS.
YOU KNOW, WE DO KNOW THAT THIS HURRICANE SEASON HAS BEEN FORECASTED, UH, TO BE INTENSE, BUT WE HOPE THAT YOUR FAMILY WILL BE SAFE AND SECURE.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT T-MOBILE HAS A PLAN TO SUPPORT YOU THIS HURRICANE SEASON THROUGH JUST IN JEFFERSON PARISH AND THROUGHOUT LOUISIANA.
WE'RE PREPARED, WE'RE INVESTED IN AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY AND WE'RE HERE FOR YOU.
OKAY, BEFORE I, UM, TAKE, WE'LL HAPPILY TAKE QUESTIONS, BUT JUST AGAIN, A REMINDER IN WHAT THE CHIEF SAID.
SOMETIMES THE POST STORM AND ALL THE DANGERS IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN WHAT HAPPENS DURING STORM.
AND WE CAN RECALL IDA, WE HAD ONE DEATH DURING THE STORM AND WE HAD MANY MORE DEATHS INCLUDING THE THREE CARBON MONOXIDE POST STORM.
SO AGAIN, ANOTHER CALL FOR PEOPLE TO LEAVE EARLY AND GET OUT.
UM, ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANY OF OUR PARTICIPANTS? GOOD MORNING PARISH PRESIDENT.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA ADDRESS THIS.
SO IN TERMS OF ROOF DAMAGE, IT WILL, IT WILL BE INCUMBENT UPON THE PROPERTY OWNER, THE HOMEOWNER, TO GET IN WRITING THAT 50% OF THE ROOF IS DAMAGED AND THEN THE, AFTER A CONTRACT IS SIGNED, GET THE THE CONTRACTOR TO GET THE PERMIT FROM THE PARISH.
AND WILL A POST WORK COMPLETION, UM, INSPECTION BE DONE BY THE PARISH OR THAT REQUIRED? SO REMEMBER IT IS IF YOU HAVE TO REPLACE OVER A 50% OF YOUR ROOF, YOU'RE GONNA NEED A PERMIT BEFORE YOU DO THAT WORK.
AND WE'RE GONNA ALMOST LIKE DO A PERMIT AND APPROVE IT SO YOUR CONTRACTOR CAN START DURING THE WORK AND AFTER YOUR CONTRACTOR FINISHES THE WORK, THEY'RE GONNA TAKE PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THE WORK AT THAT TIME TO MAKE SURE ALL OF THE STEPS FOR THE HEIGHTENED CODE, THE SEALED ROOF DECK AND ALL OF THOSE EXTRA PROTECTIONS ARE DONE.
[00:55:01]
THAT GEOLOCATES THAT PHOTOGRAPHIC THAT PHOTOGRAPH TO US, AND WE CAN LOOK AT THAT PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE AND THEN WE ALMOST LIKE DO A POST-APPROVAL AGAIN TO SAY, YES, THIS IS PERMITTED.SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE A KIND OF A TWO STEP.
BUT THE BEAUTY OF IT IS WE WILL NOT NEED TO SEND OUR RESOURCES OUT TO GO ON TOP OF THAT ROOF AND LOOK AT IT.
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE, GEOLOCATED PHOTOGRAPH EVIDENCE DOES THAT FOR US.
AND THANKS TO THE HOME BUILDERS THAT THEY GOT, THAT LEGISLATION CHANGED FOR US LAST YEAR AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
SO IT'S ALL LIKE A, YOU KNOW, AN ELECTRONIC PROCESS.
AGAIN, ONLY IF YOU HAVE TO REPLACE 50% OR MORE OF YOUR ROOF, NOT THE MINOR REPLACEMENTS.
THIS IS, THIS IS, THIS WENT INTO EFFECT, UM, IN THE MIDDLE OF LAST YEAR.
EARLIER THIS WEEK YOU WERE DISCUSSING A CANAL COVERAGE.
IS THAT PART OF THE HURRICANE PREP PLANT OR THAT'S JUST THE FUTURE OF JEFFERSON? I MEAN, IT'S RELATED IN THAT, THAT'S HONESTLY ALMOST LIKE A BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT BECAUSE OBVI, WE ALL KNOW THE OPEN CANALS ARE UGLY.
IT DOES HELP IN THOSE SITUATIONS.
IT'S CERTAINLY IF THE, THE STREETS FLOODED AND THE CANALS FLOODED.
I'M ALWAYS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT CARS FLOATING INTO OPEN BODIES OF WATER AND THEN YOU HAVE A DEADLY SITUATION.
THE CANAL, THOSE TREE COVERINGS, THE SHRUBS HELP GIVE A VISUAL BARRIER BETWEEN THE CANAL AND THE STREET, WHICH OFTEN WE LOSE WHEN IT FLOODS.
SO IT IS, IT IS DEFINITELY RELATED, BUT IT WAS NOT PART OF A HURRICANE PREP OR ANYTHING.
SO NO COVERS THAT WE KNOW OF GOING ON CANALS BEFORE THIS HURRICANE? NO, IT'S JUST TREE PLANTINGS.
WE CALL IT LIKE SHRUBBERY COVERS.
IT STARTED AS A BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT, BUT WE CERTAINLY KNOW IT CAN HELP PREVENT, UM, A CAR FROM GOING INTO A CANAL JUST TO BE ABLE TO SERVE AS A VERTICAL VISUAL BARRIER.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT, UM, HOW YOUR THINKING AS FAR AS CALLING FOR EVACUATION ORDERS HAS CHANGED OVER YOUR TERMS? YES.
I MEAN, WE, WE HAVE RUN A LOT OF TABLETOP EXERCISES.
OUR TEAM PUTS A LOT OF SCENARIOS IN FRONT OF US.
OUR, OUR TEAM IS VERY WELL TRAINED.
THEY'RE GONNA GIVE ME ADVICE ON IT.
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN SAY IT.
EVERYBODY NEEDS TO MAKE UP THEIR MIND THAT IF WE'RE IN THE CONE, WHAT I WOULD DO FOR MY FAMILY IS I'M LEAVING.
WE DON'T, THIS IS THE BEST WAY I THINK OF IT.
WE DON'T, UH, WE PUT OUR SEAT BELTS ON WHEN WE GO DRIVE AND WE DON'T DRIVE INTO OUR HOME AT THE END OF THE EVENING AND SAY, I DIDN'T NEED TO PUT ON MY SEATBELT BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET IN AN ACCIDENT.
A LOT OF TIMES OUR MINDSET WITH HURRICANES IS THAT WAY.
IT'S LIKE, WE EVACUATE, WE INCUR HOTEL EXPENSES, WE DO ALL THIS, AND THEN WE COME BACK AND WE SAY, OH, WE DIDN'T NEED TO DO THAT.
AND THAT'S OUR FEAR FOR FIRST RESPONDERS IS BECAUSE WHATEVER HAPPENED IN THE LAST STORM IS LIKE THE PSYCHE THAT PEOPLE KIND OF APPROACH IN THE FUTURE STORM.
AND THAT IS NOT THE PROPER WAY TO THINK.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE ARE GONNA LOOK AT IT AS WELL.
UM, WE, WE KNOW THE DANGERS ARE ALL AVAILABLE TO US.
THIS LAST STORM THAT WE HAD, WHAT IS IT, FOUR WEEKS AGO, FIVE WEEKS AGO, UM, WE THOUGHT IT WAS HEAVY WIND.
ALL THE, ALL THE FORECASTS WERE SAYING IT WAS HEAVY WIND.
UM, WE PICKED A SHELTER FOR HEAVY WIND.
IT WAS MORE OF A FLOODING EVENT FOR US.
SO WE CAN BE SURPRISED BY NOTHING AND ALL THE DANGERS ARE THERE.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA STRESS.
IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO LEAVE AND YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO LEAVE AND WE'RE IN THAT CONE BECAUSE IT FLIPS SO FAST AND JUST GET OUT AND MAKE THAT COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT IT'S GONNA BE LIKE LIVING HERE.
NOT JUST LOUISIANA, THE ENTIRE GULF COAST, THAT THIS IS BECOMING A NATIONAL PROBLEM.
MANY OF THOSE STORMS WENT UP TO THE NORTHEAST AND HIT THOSE STATES.
SO IT'S A MINDSET THAT WE HAVE TO CHANGE AND THAT'S WHAT CRITICAL.
WE'RE CERTAINLY CHANGING IT ON OUR END, BUT I'M ASKING EVERYBODY TO ALSO DO THAT AND NOT TRY TO JUST HIT IT JUST RIGHT.
LIKE IF IT HITS US, THEN WE'RE GONNA LEAVE BECAUSE IT COULD HIT US.
IT MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE IT HITS US, BUT IT COULD SPEED UP.
AND YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE TIME AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE TIME IS SHORTENED AND WE DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO GET EVERYBODY OUT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS IN PLACE FOR SCHOOLS IF SOME OF THEM WERE TO HAVE TO CLOSE FOR THE PERIOD? WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR SCHOOL.
JOE, DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT HOW OFTEN YOU REACH OUT TO SCHOOLS? WE DON'T MAKE THAT CALL.
OBVIOUSLY EACH SCHOOL MAKES THAT CALL, BUT WE DO A LOT OF, UM, JOE AND EMERGENCY AND MANAGEMENT TOUCHES BASE WITH ALL THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, UH, SARAH'S TOUCHED BASE WITH HOSPITAL SYSTEMS. THERE'S A LOT OF COMMUNICATION GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES, BUT I'M, I KNOW THEY HAVE THEIR OWN HURRICANE PLAN, BUT YOU WANNA JUST SAY HOW YOU, JUST A FEW WORDS.
UM, WE HAVE A VERY ROBUST RELATIONSHIP WITH DR. GRAY FROM THE JEFFERSON PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND DR.
RAINELLE HOUSTON, WHO IS THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
AND SO WE COMMUNICATE CONSTANTLY, UM, AT ALMOST EVERY LEVEL, WHETHER IT'S A RAIN EVENT, WHEN THE PIPE BURST IN, UH, ON UH, JEFFERSON HIGHWAY BACK IN JANUARY.
[01:00:01]
UH, AND WE WERE GONNA LOSE WATER PRESSURE.WE WERE COMMUNICATING BACK AND FORTH 'CAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE CHILDREN ARE GONNA REMAIN SAFE, PARTICULARLY WITH WIND EVENTS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THOSE SCHOOL BUSES ARE ONLY RATED AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
SO IF WE KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE SUSTAINED WINDS OVER THAT, THEN BOTH THOSE ENTITIES REALLY LOOKED VERY CLOSELY AT SHUTTING SCHOOLS DOWN OR DELAYING THE OPENING.
IN ANOTHER CASE WE HAD OVER THE SUMMER WITH THE WILDFIRES THAT WERE CREATING IN, UH, LAFITTE, THAT WAS CREATING SO MUCH, UH, SMOG WITH THE FOG IN THE SMOKE.
WE WERE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THEM AS WHETHER OR NOT THEY WERE GONNA HAVE A DELAYED ONSET OR A DELAYED, UH, AT THE END OF THE DAY.
SO, UM, WE HAVE A VERY GOOD LINE OF COMMUNICATION THERE.
AND SARAH, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING WANT TO ADD? NO THANK AND LOOK, THEY'RE NOT HERE TODAY, BUT IF THERE WERE A STORM COMING, WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY HAVE THEM UP HERE TO MAKE SURE THE PARENTS GET THE LATEST ON SCHOOL CLOSURES AND WHEN SCHOOL WOULD RESUME.
TALKING ABOUT, UH, RAPID INTENSIFICATION AND YOU HAD MENTIONED HURRICANE OTIS BECAUSE I THINK REPORTS HAD SAID THAT THAT INTENSIFICATION HAPPENED OVERNIGHT, SO THERE REALLY WAS NO TIME FOR A MANDATORY EVACUATION.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALL ARE SAYING Y'ALL ARE PREPARED IN CASE EVERYONE'S STUCK HERE.
LIKE THERE WAS NO TIME FOR, UH, A MANDATORY EVACUATION.
IT CHANGES THE WHOLE TEMPLATE.
IT CHANGES EVERY FORMULA OF HOW WE LOOK AT IT.
AND IT'S MUCH MORE ABOUT GETTING OUT EARLY.
EVERY FAMILY HAS TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISION, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A VULNERABLE PERSON IN YOUR HOUSE, ELDERLY PERSON.
REMEMBER IF WE HAVE A STORM, PEOPLE, THE HOSPITAL SYSTEMS ARE GONNA BE DEALING WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY BEING INJURED FOR THE STORM.
I MEAN, EVERYTHING, THE PUBLIC SERVICES THAT YOU'RE GONNA GET ARE SO MUCH MORE REDUCED AFTER A STORM.
SO IF YOU ARE VULNERABLE AND YOU NEED HOSPITAL SERVICES AT ANY TIME, YOU NEED TO GET OUT EARLY.
UM, SO I GUESS THAT'S THE MESSAGE.
AND WE WON'T LIKE CONTRAFLOW, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH RAPID INTENSIFICATION.
I I JUST DON'T SEE HOW CONTRAFLOW COULD HAPPEN.
WHAT ARE WE, LIKE, 96 HOURS FOR CONTRAFLOW 72, WE NEED 72, 72 HOURS FOR CONTRAFLOW.
SO YOU COULD SEE THE NUMBERS I GAVE YOU.
IT JUST TAKES THAT OFF THE TABLE.
IT'S NOT EVEN AN OPTION FOR US WITH RAPID INTENSIFYING STORMS. YES, YES.
I, I, I JUST NEED TO ADD TO THE HURRICANE OTIS SCENARIO.
WE CAME, WE, UH, WENT TO THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE IN APRIL AND UM, THEY SPENT TWO HOURS ON A SPECIAL SESSION.
AND THIS WAS THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER.
AND THESE ARE THE SMARTEST PHDS ON THE PLANET WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATOLOGY.
THEY HAVE SOME OF THE MOST, THE GREATEST SATELLITE NETWORK THAT HAVE HURRICANE HUNTERS THAT GOING THROUGH THESE STORMS. WHAT OCCURRED WITH OTIS WAS A PHENOMENON THAT THEY'VE NEVER SEEN 72 HOURS PRIOR TO THE INTENSIFICATION.
AND THEY BROKE IT DOWN LITERALLY HOUR BY HOUR.
EVERY PREDICTION THAT THEY THOUGHT WAS GONNA OCCUR DID NOT, IT DID NOT.
THEY WERE BAFFLED BY IT AND THEN LITERALLY OVERNIGHT IT EXPLODED FROM A TROPICAL STORM TO A CAT FIVE.
SO THEY WERE REALLY CONFUSED BY THAT BECAUSE IT SIMPLY DIDN'T MEET THE MODEL OF ANY KNOWN PRIOR HURRICANE.
BUT LIKE THE PARISH PRESIDENT SAID EARLIER, WE'RE SEEING THIS TREND SINCE 2016.
THE STORMS RAPID INTENSIFICATION, THEY'RE TREMENDOUS RAIN MAKERS INLAND, THEY'RE DRIVING FURTHER INLAND AND CREATING HEAVY RAIN PRO ISSUES, FLASH FLOODING, THEY'RE SPAWNING MORE TORNADOES.
SO THIS IS A TREND NOW THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT THEY BELIEVE IS GONNA STAY WITH US.
SO ALL THE MORE REASON WITH THE RAPID INTENSIFICATION STORM WHERE YOU'RE DOWN, YOU GET MAYBE LESS THAN 72 HOURS NOTICE IF YOU'RE NOT PREPARED TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY, THEN YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO SHELTER IN PLACE.
AND SO THOSE ARE REALLY WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO, YOUR LAST TWO OPTIONS.
AND WE'RE AT THE MERCY OF THE CLIMATE AND THIS IS WHAT IT'S INDICATED TO US.
SO, BUT I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT EXTRA IN ABOUT OTIS BECAUSE IT REALLY WAS AN OUTLIER THAT JUST DIDN'T MEET ANY, DIDN'T FALL INTO ANY CRITERIA, KNOWN CRITERIA.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, FOR MR. ANTE? YOU TALKED ABOUT THE CONTRACTS FOR, UH, ADDITIONAL GENERATORS.
HOW MANY, HOW MANY ADDITIONAL GENERATIONAL GENERATORS HAVE ACCESS TO UNDER THOSE CONTRACTS? SO WE HAVE CONTRACTS FOR ALL OF OUR SHELTERS POST DAMAGE, UH, POST STORM SHELTERS.
AND THAT'S SIX, CORRECT, SARAH? SO WE HAVE SIX SHELTERS THAT WE HAVE GENERATORS THAT ARE, THEREFORE WE ALSO HAVE SOME EMERGENCY CONTRACTORS FOR OUR FLEET MANAGEMENT FOR FUEL DISTRIBUTION.
AND I KNOW MARK DREWS, DO Y'ALL HAVE, MARK DREWS HAS NUMEROUS, UH,
[01:05:01]
CONTRACTS, GENERATED CONTRACTS IN PLACE FOR HIS, UH, SEWER LIFT STATIONS THAT WE HAVE TO PUT GENERATORS ON IN INDIVIDUALLY THE PLANTS, THE TREATMENT PLANTS ARE COVERED, BUT ON THE SEWER LIFT STATION, MARK, DO YOU WANT TO ADDRESS THAT BECAUSE HE'S, HE'S PROBABLY IN A BETTER POSITION TO GIVE YOU MORE ACCURATE NUMBERS.WELL, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY, UH, 20 PORTABLE GENERATORS, 20 PORTABLE PUMPS THAT WE CAN PUT OUT IN THE FIELD AS NECESSARY.
BUT WE HAVE CONTRACTS TO GET MORE GENERATORS, MORE PORTABLE PUMPS, AND ALSO VACUUM TRUCKS, UH, WHERE THE VACUUM TRUCKS CAN GET TO OUR SMALLER LIFT STATIONS, PUMP 'EM DOWN AND JUST TRANSPORT THAT TO EITHER A WORKING, UH, REGIONAL LIFT STATION OR ACTUALLY TO OUR TREATMENT PLAN.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
AND THANK ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS FOR ATTENDING WITH US TODAY.
FOR ANYONE I KNOW, LIKE HISPANIC MEDIA.