NEW ORLEANS — The St. Tammany Parish government officially declared a state of emergency Monday, as part of the recovery after remnants of Tropical Storm Olga caused massive damage to homes and infrastructure in the parish, a spokesperson said in a report.
Monday morning, Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish president, told crews to pick up debris blocking roadways for the rest of the day. They'll be picking up debris from trees but not construction. Crews will not go on to private property to remove debris.
"Parish President Brister continues to monitor and stay on top of utility companies still working to restore power to affected customers," the spokesperson said. "These utility companies are providing updates to Parish Public Works crews to update their progress on removing power lines tangled in fallen trees, so that Public Works may remove debris as soon as it is safe."
Crews began removing debris from sides of the road and homes Monday and will continue to do so.
Saturday morning, works crews were sent to assess damages and remove trees and debris from roadways. They worked with first responders and power companies, so repair crews could get to where they were most needed.
St Tammany crews also removed trees from state highways, helping the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the spokesperson said.
“Property damage and power loss in St. Tammany has been widespread, resulting from the unpredicted severity of the high winds that caused a massive number of fallen trees, limbs and branches,” Brister said.
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