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Water deliveries ongoing to areas hit hard by winter storms in Louisiana

LANG water distribution .jpg
Posted at 2:26 PM, Feb 19, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-19 19:56:47-05

This week, winter weather has battered much of the state and the country, bringing with it freezing rains, ice, and snow.

In Louisiana, residents from the gulf coast to the northern border were blasted with below freezing temperatures. Three people are confirmed to have died as a result of the frigid weather.

As some of the parishes begin to thaw, the state is working to bring water deliveries to them. On Thursday, Governor John Bel Edwards announced that the Louisiana National Guard (LANG), along with the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) would be delivering water bottles to hard hit areas.

On Thursday, 98 water outages were reported in Louisiana with 245,000 people affected. Boil Advisories are affecting over 1 millions residents.

These deliveries began on Thursday and so far have been contained to North Louisiana which has seen the worst of the winter weather this week. So far 64,464 1 liter bottles of water have been delivered to the citizens there.

On the 18th, LANG delivered bulk water to Cabrini Hospital in Rapides Parish.They are also expected to provide 4 bulk water tankers to support Caddo and Rapides parishes

On Friday, 10 water hippos were headed to the Shreveport Water Treatment plant to provide potable and non-potable water to support area hospitals.

Generators were also being delivered to parishes that have requested the help. As of Friday, six generators have been delivered to Grant and Winn parishes. On Thursday, Edwards stated that Evangeline Parish had also requested generator assistance. It was not known if that was still the case as of Friday.

Beyond what LANG and GOHSEP are doing for the state, local food bank and parish governments are also stepping up with water deliveries

The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury along with volunteers from the American Red Cross handed out free bottled water at the West-Cal Events Center in Sulphur Friday. The distribution has been extended to Saturday, February 20, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. or until supplies are depleted. It will take place at the same location as Friday's event. Volunteers at the drive-through site will give one case of bottled water per vehicle.

Bottled water is also available at the Lake Charles Civic Center in an effort organized by the City of Lake Charles and United Way of Southwest Louisiana.

Second Harvest Food Bank will be delivering 1,500 cases of water to Lake Charles on Friday. See location information below:

  • Lake Charles Civic Center Address: 900 Lake Shore Drive, Lake Charles - Time: 1pm - While Supplies Last
  • Care Help of Sulphur Address: 200 N Huntington St, Sulphur - Time: 1pm - While Supplies Last

In Acadiana, a Second Harvest Food Bank distribution site is scheduled for Saturday, February 20, 2021, from 10 a.m. - noon at Cajun Field in Lafayette.

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