JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — Jefferson Parish leaders are watching Ida, a rapidly developing storm potentially heading toward the Louisiana gulf coast.
The National Weather Service is warning a Category 2 or major Category 3 hurricane could make landfall in Louisiana.
JP Director of Emergency Management Joe Valiente told WWL-TV, the parish is following this storm very closely as it forms and is urging residents to do the same.
“We don’t have a full understanding of the risk and the threats at this time, so we don’t know if this is going to be wind, will there be a large storm surge, whether or not it’s going to be a large rain producer,” Valiente said. “Certainly, all the models are suggesting that this is going to strike very close to home.”
Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng declared a state of emergency Thursday evening.
Earlier in the day, parish crews were out in force, checking catch basins, drainage canals and pumps. Only one of the 195 drainage pumps in the parish is down for repairs. A back up pump is on standby if needed
The JP Streets Department is also on standby to shut down all active worksites and to secure them for the duration of the storm.
“Our finger is on the button, so to speak,” Valiente said. “We’re ready to initiate all of our precautions, but it’s still a little bit too early to push that button.”
Grand Isle, Lafitte and other parts of the parish outside the levee protection system are also activating their emergency plans. Valiente says if an evacuation is ordered in may not follow the normal timetable which is 56 hours before a storm is expected to make landfall.
“We are certainly going to make every effort to evacuate the low-lying areas that are outside the levee protection system,” Valiente said. “This is very similar in nature to what happened with Hurricane Michael two years ago when it hit Mexico Beach in Florida. It went from a tropical disturbance to Cat 4 in 24 hours.”
JP Councilman At-large Ricky Templet has a house on Grand Isle. He says some folks on the state’s only inhabited barrier island are already packing up their campers and moving boats to safe harbor.
“Highway 1 is one of the first highways that go under water,” Templet said. “So, speaking to the mayor of Grand Isle, they are watching that very closely.”
Lower Jefferson Parish was in the cone of probability for eight storms last year.
“The storm is not threatening the location as we speak,” Templet said. “This would be a better time for you if you wanted to move something out of harm’s way because it does become a traffic jam when any kind of evacuation is deemed.”
Parish leaders are urging residents to be prepared to move out if and when the order is given.
“Time may not be on our side in this case, but if you are an individual and you have the means to evacuate and this is a Cat 3 or higher that’s coming into our area, I would strongly recommend that you start preparing for that possibility,” Valiente said. “At this point we know we have a threat out there. We know that the conditions are ripe for development, so, we know that it’s going to end up in the central Gulf of Mexico.”
Thursday at Zuppardo’s Supermarket in Metairie, customers were stocking up on bottled water, food, and essentials.
Pam Vitter is taking Ida very seriously.
“We’re going to do a little prep at home, you know, make sure the hurricane shutters work and roll them down and that’s about it,” Vitter said. “Probably just going to stay home.”
Tropical-storm-force winds, 39 mph or greater, could arrive along portions of the Louisiana coast as early as 8 p.m. Saturday.
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