ST. BERNARD PARISH, La. — The high demand for gas compared to the limited fuel supply is the biggest concern for St. Bernard Parish officials on Wednesday.
In a press conference updating on the parish's response to Hurricane Ida, parish president Guy McInnis made remarks regarding the area's gas shortage, power restoration rumors, debris pick up and more.
It was also announced that Gulf Coast Bank will be open starting Wednesday at 12 p.m. for drive-through services only.
Here's what you need to know regarding the latest update for St. Bernard.
Be patient for gas
- There are currently five gas stations open in the parish, however all five may not be running at the same time due to limited fuel supply.
- Officials are hoping to open one to two gas stations a day in the coming days.
- Tensions from waiting hours in long lines for gas can be reduced if people stopped jumping the lines or trying to create their own lines.
- Customers should only use approved gas containers, meaning no metal containers and no 55 gallon containers to conserve gas for others.
Power restored in the parish soon
- McInnis said he expects power to be restored in the parish sooner rather than later and in the next few weeks at the latest.
- The parish president also denied claims that Entergy was bypassing St. Bernard Parish to restore power to New Orleans more quickly.
- Entergy is working on distribution lines in the area, but the parish still needs power transmission to come in from outside the parish.
Debris clean up
- Vegetation and building debris will start being picked up on Tues. Sept. 7.
- Debris needs to be sat on curbs, not the street, and if bagged it needs to be in clear bags.
- Household garbage in trash cans and black bags will be picked up starting on Thursday.