UPDATE: Mayor Landrieu, Governor John Bel
Edwards, Parish President Mike Yenni, and Other Regional, Parish Officials Provide
Updates on Winter Weather Impact on Region
Announces Friday Closures
NEW
ORLEANS — Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu hosted Governor John Bel
Edwards, Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni, as well as other regional parish
officials to provide an update on the winter weather event impacting the region.
Mayor Landrieu urges
residents and visitors to stay safe and warm during winter weather. The
Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans has issued a precautionary boil water
advisory for the entire East Bank of New Orleans, including New Orleans East.
Temperatures
are now above freezing and will continue to warm into the low to mid-forties today.
Elevated roadways that remain icy are expected to thaw and reopen today.
Residents are urged to remain cautious as ice thaws on roadways and to obey
traffic closures and barriers that remain in place. A Freeze Warning will be in
effect for New Orleans overnight, with temperatures dropping into the
mid-thirties and possible wind chills in the low thirties. As such, the
Citywide Freeze Plan to provide shelter to the homeless will be in effect
through the night.
Public safety is our top
priority. As such, City Hall and all administrative operations will remain
closed Friday. Residents are asked to continue to take extreme caution until
road conditions improve.
Through the overnight hours,
public safety personnel and volunteers will continue to ensure homeless
residents are able to get to shelters.
Since Tuesday, Mayor
Landrieu and City officials have held 3 press conferences to advise on
precautions in advance of the wintry weather and provide updates in response to
the weather.
Since Tuesday, City
officials have called into multiple media outlets to provide updates to the
public.
TAKE
PRECAUTIONS
All residents and visitors
should take appropriate precautions to protect themselves from the potentially
dangerous effects of cold weather and icy conditions.
Icy conditions continue to
exist on elevated roadways and some New Orleans surface streets, causing
dangerous driving conditions. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and
Development (DOTD) has opened I-610 in both directions and the I-10 Highrise Bridge in Orleans Parish.
Residents are asked to take
extreme caution until conditions improve. If it is absolutely necessary to be
on the road, take extra care driving. The public is asked to report icy road
conditions to 911.
During cold weather
overnight, residents are urged to bring pets inside and to check on neighbors
and the elderly. To report someone in need of shelter, call the New Orleans
Police Department (NOPD) non-emergency number at (504) 821-2222.
Residents are reminded to
heat homes safely. Space heaters should never be left unattended and a stove or
an oven should never be used to heat the home. Check smoke and carbon monoxide
detectors to be sure they are working.
PUBLIC
SAFETY OPERATIONS
The New Orleans Office of
Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness has activated the Emergency
Operations Center and continues to monitor conditions and coordinate response
throughout the winter weather event.
Public safety agencies,
including the NOPD, New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS), and the New
Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) have responded since Tuesday to over 1,107 calls
for service, including close to 100 traffic accidents. Last night, there were 500
calls for service overnight. 62 calls were auto incidents handled by the NOPD.
There were no reported traffic fatalities overnight. No major offenses were reported
overnight.
CITYWIDE
FREEZE PLAN ACTIVATION
The Citywide Freeze Plan
(CFP) remains in effect through Friday, Jan. 19, as the National Weather
Service forecasts the temperature or wind chill to fall below the plan’s
activation threshold of 35 degrees. The City's freeze plan will be in effect to
provide temporary overnight shelter for homeless residents. The public is asked
to call the NOPD non-emergency number (504) 821-2222, to report someone in need
of shelter.
Individuals needing shelter will be accepted, free of charge, at the following
locations under the following conditions:
- The
Salvation Army, 4530 South Claiborne Ave. – will accept men and women
beginning at 4 p.m.
- Ozanam
Inn, 843 Camp St. – will accept men only beginning at 4 p.m.
- Covenant
House, 611 North Rampart St. – will accept men and women between the ages
of 16 to 21, their dependent children, and any woman with dependent minor
children. Open 24/7.
- New
Orleans Mission, 1130 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. – will accept men and
women beginning at 4 p.m.
Over the past two days, the
New Orleans Health Department has housed over 168 homeless residents.
ROADWAYS
AND BRIDGES
Temperatures are now above freezing and
will continue to warm into the low to mid-forties today. Elevated roadways that
remain icy are expected to thaw and reopen later today. Residents are urged to
remain cautious as ice thaws on roadways and to obey traffic closures and
barriers that remain in place.
Crews with the City’s Department of
Public Works (DPW) and the DOTD continue to assess and address road conditions
throughout the city.
DOTD
reports that the eastbound lanes of I-10 from Morrison Road to Slidell in
Orleans Parish are now open effective immediately. Both directions of I-10 from
US 11 to I-510 in Orleans Parish are now open. The eastbound lanes of the Twin
Span Bridge are open.
Motorists can access the
latest updates on real-time traffic and road conditions and closures using the
511 Traveler Information System by dialing 511 from their telephone and saying
the route or region about which they are seeking information. Out-of-state
travelers can call 1-888-ROAD-511 (1-888-762-3511). This information is also
available online on the 511 Traveler Information Web site at www.511la.org.
SCHOOLS
In order to ensure the
safety of students, all schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Recovery
School District, and the Orleans Public School Board will remain closed Friday.
CITY
FACILITIES CLOSED
The following City
facilities are closed for business Friday:
·
City Hall (1300 Perdido St.)
·
All New Orleans Recreation Department Commission (NORD) facilities
·
All New Orleans Public Library branches
·
Municipal and Traffic Court
·
Criminal Court
·
Civil District Court
SEWERAGE
AND WATER BOARD
Water pressure
across the East Bank remained very low overnight, due to a combination of
leaks, water line breaks and consistent water use. The S&WB called for a
precautionary boil water advisory for the entire East Bank of New Orleans this
morning, which includes Venetian Isles, Lake Catherine, and Irish Bayou and remains
in effect until further notice.
Crews are
working around the clock to rectify the situation and will notify residents
when the system is operating normally. Residents are encouraged to only use
water when necessary and to no longer run faucets constantly, as temperatures have increased and pipes are no longer in danger of freezing.
Residential
and commercial property owners are encouraged to check your water pipes. If a
break is observed, turn off your water and begin to repair leaks. This will relieve substantial pressure on our water system.
RTA
All
bus and street car services are fully operational and on their regular
schedule. A shuttle bus is continuing to service the St. Charles Streetcar
route from Howard to Canal.
For the latest
RTA service information call the RTA Customer Care Rideline at (504) 248-3900.
For Rider Alerts and more information regarding RTA detours, visit www.norta.com and register a MyRTA email
account to receive service alerts. We will continue to provide updates via
Twitter @NewOrleansRTA and Facebook @NewOrleansRTA, as well as our website: www.norta.com.
FERRIES
The
Lower Algiers/Chalmette Ferry is back in service, and the Canal Street/Algiers
Point Ferry is being serviced by terminal-to-terminal shuttle bus until ferry
service is restored.
For
the latest information follow RTA on Twitter at @NewOrleansRTA. Riders are also
encouraged to visit the RTA website at www.norta.com
for service alerts.
SANITATION
All Metro Services and Richard's
Disposal garbage and recycling collections will resume on Friday as scheduled.
Both companies will collect properties scheduled for Thursday, on Friday
and Saturday of this week. Recycling collections, which were cancelled on
Wednesday and Thursday, will take place next week, on the scheduled days.
On Friday,
Empire Services will resume its normal operating schedule.
River Birch
Landfill and Gentilly Landfill are open today. Both will resume
normal operating hours on Friday.
NEW ORLEANS
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Late Wednesday
evening, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport began
experiencing low water pressure as a result of freezing weather conditions, and
this morning, Jefferson Parish issued a precautionary Boil Water Advisory for
the area.
The Airport is
still experiencing low water pressure and is taking necessary safety measures
for our passengers. At this time, there are limited restrooms open in the
pre-security lobby and all restrooms post-security are closed. Portable toilets
were placed at the entrance of the Airport for passengers to use. Food and
beverage options are also limited in the terminal, and the heating system may
be affected due to the decreased water pressure.
The runways at
the Airport remain open and commercial flight operations are continuing. Travelers
should plan ahead and check with their airline for the most up-to-date flight
information. Passengers are encouraged to check their route to the airport
before getting on the roadways since many roads are still closed due to icy
conditions.
Airport staff
is continuing to monitor the situation in the terminal and will take necessary
actions to mitigate passenger inconvenience.
NOLA 311
NOLA 311 will be closed
Friday and will reopen at 8 a.m. on Monday. To report downed power lines and
any other emergencies, call 911.
READY.NOLA.GOV
Updates on winter weather
and local impacts will be available at ready.nola.gov.
Residents are encouraged follow @NOLAReady on Twitter and to sign up for email
and text message alerts at http://ready.nola.gov/stay-connected/emergency-alerts/ . For more information on winter weather
preparedness, visit http://ready.nola.gov/plan/winter/ .
IMPORTANT
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- For
life threatening emergencies and downed power lines, call 911
- For
real-time traffic and road condition, call 511
- Report
downed traffic signals, call 504-821-2222
- Sewerage
and Water Boards 24/7 line, call 504-529-2837
- To
report power outages, call 1-800-968-8243 (1-800-9OUTAGE)
- To
report water emergencies, call 504-529-2837 (504-52WATER)
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