Lafayette District Reentry Resources

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 each year, with the peak occurring between mid-August and late October. Planning ahead is the best thing that you can do to protect your home and family in the event of a hurricane or tropical storm. Below, you will find basic preparedness tips, local contacts, and additional resources to help ensure that your family is ready in the event of a major storm.

For a hurricane preparation checklist, click here.

Top Tips to be Prepared:

1. Make plans to protect your property. Shutter or cover windows to prevent them from breaking. Bring lawn furniture, toys, trash cans, and other objects indoors.

2. Know where to go. Learn evacuation routes and contraflow procedures. Determine where you can stay and how you would get there if you need to evacuate. Find evacuation routes here.

3. Gather personal documents, including Social Security cards, proof of residence, insurance policies, wills, deeds, birth & marriage certificates, etc. Make a record of these and all valuable possessions.

4. Keep your automobile fully fueled in the event that gas supply becomes scarce or pumps lose operational capacity.

5. Put together a go-bag: disaster supply kit, including a flashlight, batteries, cash, first-aid supplies, medications, and copies of your critical information.

6. If you are not in an area that is advised to evacuate and you decide to stay in your home, plan for adequate supplies in case you lose power and water for several days and you are not able to leave due to flooding or obstructed roads.

7. Make a family emergency communication plan.

8. If you are receiving Social Security or Veterans Benefits make sure you have direct deposit. This will ensure you receive all of your benefits if you have to evacuate. The Social Security Administration’s telephone number is 1-800-772-1213 or visit their website. 

9. The Veterans Administration’s telephone number is 1-877-222-8387 or visit their website.

10.         Know how to shut off utilities. Know where gas pilots are located and how the heating and air-conditioning system works. If you have any questions, contact your local utility company.

Local Contacts

Governor’s Office of Homeland Security | http://gohsep.la.gov/ | 225.925.7500

Louisiana Department of Transportation | http://wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Pages/default.aspx | 225.379.1232

Acadia Parish

·       http://www.appj.org/emergency-preparedness-homeland-security/

·       Facebook

Lafayette Parish

·       http://lafayetteohsep.org/Pages/default.aspx

·       Facebook

Vermilion Parish

·       http://vppj.org/2012DEPTsecurity.html

·       Facebook

·       Twitter

STAY UP-TO-DATE DURING STORMS

During storms, stay up-to-date with road closures, curfews, sandbag information, etc., by visiting Lafayette Consolidated Government’s website, www.lafayettela.gov, following Lafayette Consolidated Government’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/lafayetteconsolidatedgovernment, or by visiting the 311 Lafayette Portal, www.311lafayette.services. 

CONTACT NUMBERS

*Dial 311 to report LUS Outages and Street Flooding and Drainage Issues

·       Option 1 – LUS Power and Water Outages

·       Option 2 – LUS Fiber Outages

·       Option 3 – Street Flooding and Drainage Issues

*Should 311 become overloaded:

·       Dial 291-9200 for power outages

·       291-5700 for downed power lines or other electrical issues

SLEMCO Power Outages

·       888-275-3626

ROAD CONDITIONS

State Police – Report Roadway Emergencies

·       Dial *LSP (*577) on your cell phone or call 800-469-4828

511

·       Dial 511 (or 888-ROAD-511) use the “Louisiana 511” app or visit 511la.org for continual updates about weather-related road conditions, road closures and other travel information. 

ALERT NOTIFICATION APPS

·       LafayetteNOW - LafayetteNOW is Lafayette Parish’s new emergency alert notification system that will deliver real-time updates straight to your phone. LafayetteNOW will send updates on: weather emergencies, road closures, public safety alerts, and other critical information. Anyone who lives, works, or regularly visits Lafayette Parish is encouraged to sign up to stay informed.

o   Click here to learn more or sign up.

·       NOAA Weather Radar Live- Real-time radar images and severe weather alerts.

·       Way to Geaux App - The app provides drivers with around the clock, real-time traffic notifications and road condition updates. Set your destination and the app will automatically send alerts to your smartphone while traveling on interstates, U.S., and state highways.

·       Alert FM App - ALERT FM aggregates state and local emergency alerts and messages, including National Weather Service warnings, evacuation information, and homeland security notices.

·       Red Cross Hurricane App - ALERT FM aggregates state and local emergency alerts and messages, including National Weather Service warnings, evacuation information, and homeland security notices.

OTHER RESOURCES

·       Dial 211 or visit louisiana211.org

o   Call 211 for disaster resources. Specialists are available 24/7 before, during and after the storm. Services are multilingual and are accessible to the hearing impaired.

o   Callers can access disaster information about food, clothing shelters, special needs, evacuation routes, transportation assistance, crisis counseling, prescription assistance, missing persons post disaster, rebuilding assistance and more.

·       American Red Cross, Acadiana Chapter, Lafayette

o   337-234-7371, https://www.redcross.org/

o   Listing of all shelters currently open and registered through FEMA and NSS. The listing is not limited to Red Cross shelters. The website is updated every four hours. https://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery-services/find-an-open-shelter.html

·       United Way of Acadiana, Lafayette

o   Disaster Relief, 233-8302

·       Second Harvest Food Bank

o   337-237-7711, https://no-hunger.org/

https://www.lafayettela.gov/hurricane-resources/