Mardi Gras day is right around the corner but the festivities are already in full swing.
With parades and events scheduled throughout St. Landry Parish, Sheriff Bobby Guidroz is offering some safety tips for the public before they head out to the parade routes.
Before going to the parade
- Secure your home by locking up and keeping a light on. Get a timer or two and connect it to a lamp, television set or radio to make it appear as if someone is moving around in the home turning lights and electronics on and off.
- Notify a responsible neighbor to monitor your house while you are away.
- Prepare children for the parade by making them use the restroom.
- Put your name, address and phone number on a piece of paper and put it in your child’s sock.
- Teach your child how to identify the police if lost.
Parking
- Do not block a resident’s driveway.
- Do not double park.
- Do not park on the neutral ground.
- Do not block an intersection.
- Pay attention to signage on the parade route.
Attending the parades
- Do not jump over the police barricades. Ask an officer for permission to cross from one side of the street to the other. The barricades are there for protection.
- Do not bring a big purse to the parade. Put your personal items in your front pockets. Men should carry their wallets in their front pockets.
- Stand a distance from the floats.
- Do not run alongside the floats.
- Do not follow the bands.
- Do not throw beads at the riders on the float.
- Do not put someone on your shoulders if you or that person is intoxicated. Stay away from the street or curb. Lost children
- If you get separated from your child, notify the police immediately. Find a police officer and provide the child’s name and a good physical description.
Medical problems
- You should carry with you any pertinent medical information regarding your health. This will help the paramedics analyze your medical condition should you get sick on the parade route.
“If you follow these simple tips we can all enjoy this Mardi Gras season,” Guidroz says.
