Coastal Caucus

Let me start this by saying my thoughts and prayers are with those in Texas suffering through the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. I am certain that those people in Galveston and Houston are going to do whatever is necessary to put their lives back together. As soon as I get a link related to the rebuilding I will post it. I worry that our friends in Lafitte and Acadiana are being ignored.

While I watched some of the coverage on the news an idea came to mind. Those of you in Louisiana can attest to the destructive nature of Rita, Katrina, and our newest unwanted guests Gustav and Ike. Texas has recently been battered by Gustav and southern Texas has been hit by numerous storms. Florida residents, have come to expect hurricanes or related storms a few times a year. Add in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi and you have the members of my group. Dear reader(s), (I think I'm up to 3 a day) I'm not trying to reform the Confederacy, I'm trying to see if a group of legislators can work together for coastal protection and wetlands renewal.

The folks over at levees.org are on the right track. I'm thinking a bit smaller scale though. I've already seen a canned food drive, and a clothing drive for victims of Hurricane Ike. Unfortunately, that's not enough. If the Congressional delegations agree to support each other in regard to issues concerning hurricanes then it will be much easier to get the needed support in the future. If twenty five percent of the states are already on board that makes it much easier to get any number of issues passed in an hour of need.

I am certain that beach erosion is a big issue in almost all of these states. Well, someone in this group should put forward a bill that funds wetlands renewal. Maybe Senator Landrieu's office could move forward with full funding for the Corps of Engineer's projects to finish the necessary drainage improvements in New Orleans. I'm certain there are projects concerning homeowners insurance that all of the residents in these states might have in common. I don't see why these states can't form a caucus to work to the communal benefit of their populations.

If these states are all on board, is the Congressman from Houston going to be harassed by questions about whether we should really rebuild Houston? Is the evacuee from Galveston going to hear, from a former First Lady, that she and her two kids are really better off in Oklahoma anyway? If these states work together are the people in Lake Charles going to wonder if the Federal government will support them like the city of New York after September 11th 2001? To all of these questions I can answer no.

There is enough popular strength and legislative muscle in this group of states that together they can get the needed support from the federal government. People in Homestead, and Houston, Brownsville and Biloxi deserve the same support from Washington that Manhattan got seven years ago. Unfortunately, if the delegations in the gulf coastal states don't start working together the folks at FEMA will continue to divide and conquer, as their forefathers did 143 years ago.

Blackout in Plaquemines

Courtesy of WWL:

Get ready to be without power for a couple of hours this evening in
Plaquemines Parish.

"There's going to be an outage shortly after 5:00pm for about two hours.
The whole parish will be black," says Plaquemines Parish President Billy
Nungesser. "Everyone will have power when it comes back on."

FEMA Help

More useful Emails... again this is from WWL...

Officials admit there has been confusion on the topic, so we are trying to
simplify the matter.

First, do you live in one of the following parishes?

Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Cameron, East
Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson,
Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines,
Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St.
John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany,
Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Vernon, West Baton Rouge and West
Feliciana.

If so, you may be eligible for help.

Next, were you under a mandatory evacuation? Or, did your home suffer
damage or become inhabitable due to loss of water, power or sewer? If you
answered 'yes' to one of these questions, you may be eligible.

To register, you can go to FEMA.gov or call 1-800-621-FEMA. Later there
will be places to file in person.

FEMA Spokesman Ronnie Simpson says before the feds will pay anything, you
have to file with your insurance. FEMA picks up where insurance leaves
off. He also insists you keep all of your receipts. Many insurance
policies pay for hotel stays.

"If you don't have basic services... or if you had serious damage... we're
going to work with folks to make sure they are taken care of," Simpson
told WWL First News.

He says they are either making direct payments to hotels or paying
reimbursements.

"You keep those receipts, and when it comes time to deal with FEMA in the
next few weeks, the next a month or so, you present those for receipts for
reimbursement," Simpson said.

When making a FEMA claim, be ready to provide a description of property
damage, name, address, social security number and then they will get an
inspector out to assess your home. You will be given a new FEMA number.
Do not use your Katrina FEMA number if you had one.

The FEMA assistance eligibility started Monday Sept. 1st. Expenses before
that are not eligible for repayment.

After your insurance has paid you, FEMA may pick up any additional cost of
minor home repairs to make your residence inhabitable.

If you have more substantial repair costs, FEMA will refer you to the
Small Business Administration for and SBA loan. Despite the name, the
agency does make personal loans to individuals.

FEMA can also assist in identifying other grants that may provide funding
for immediate needs including clothing, personal hygiene, bedding and
other items that you may have lost in the storm.

HUD may be able to provide rental assistance as well. That applies when
the damage to a home is so extensive that the owner can't live there
during repairs. That could be paid for up to a year and a half.

Other programs are designed to pay for medical expenses, car repairs,
counseling, disaster unemployment (including for self employed
individuals), legal assistance and mortgage assistance.

It all starts with going to FEMA.gov or calling 1-800-621-FEMA and getting
your claim started.

When can we send the kids back to school?

This email list came from wwl:

WWL-AM-FM-WWL.COM put together a comprehensive list of school openings.
Public schools: those with power will open Monday. Officials will hold a
press conference at 10 a.m. Sunday to announce those still without power.
Please keep your radio locked on WWL radio for the latest.

JEFFERSON

. Catholic schools: Monday.

. Memorial Baptist Christian School: Thursday.

These private schools will reopen Monday:
. Arden Cahill Academy
. Crescent City Christian School
. Faith Lutheran School
. John Curtis Christian School
. Ecole Classique
. Kehoe-France School Metairie
. Lutheran High School
. Metairie Park Country Day School
. Ridgewood Preparatory School
. Salem Lutheran School
. St. Martin's Episcopal School
. Xavier Prep
. Brother Martin High School
. Jesuit High School
. Holy Cross, pending power
. St Augustine High School
. St. Mary's Academy
. De- La-Salle
. Chrisitan Brothers
. Academy of the Scared Heart, pending power
. Ursline Academy
. St Mary's Dominican High School, Pending Power
. Cabrini

These private schools will reopen Tuesday:
.Mt. Carmel Academy

ORLEANS

. Algiers Charter School Association schools: Wednesday
. Orleans Parish School Board non-charter and charter schools: Next week
. Recovery School District non-charter schools: Monday
. KIPP New Orleans schools: Monday
•UNO Charter School Network schools: Monday
. Catholic schools: Monday
. St. John Lutheran School is scheduled to reopen Thursday
. International School of Louisiana: Monday

These private schools will reopen Monday:
. Isidore Newman School
. Louise S. McGehee School
. St. George's Episcopal School
. St. Paul's Episcopal School
. Stuart Hall School for Boys

PLAQUEMINES

. Public schools: partial opening Thursday
. Our Lady of Perpetual Help: Monday

ST. BERNARD

. Public schools: Monday
. Our Lady of Prompt Succor: Monday

ST. CHARLES

. The St. Charles public schools will open Wednesday.
Central office employees, school-based administrators, school office
specialists and cafeteria managers all return Monday. Custodians must
return Monday at 7:30 a.m. All other school system employees must return
to work Tuesday, with bus drivers directed to report to the transportation
department at 7:30 a.m. Anyone seeking more information can call school
system public information director Rochelle Cancienne-Touchard, at
504.416.6190, or view the district Web site at www.stcharles.k12.la.us.

Schools operated by the Archdiocese of New Orleans in the parish will
likely follow the public school schedule.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

. Public schools will reopen Wednesday if power is restored. All 12-month
employees, including central office personnel, principals, administrators,
head custodians and cafeteria managers must return for a meeting at 8 a.m.
Monday at East St. John Elementary School in Reserve. All employees were
directed to return to work Tuesday.

Schools operated by the Archdiocese of New Orleans in the parish will
likely follow the public school schedule.

ST. TAMMANY

. Public schools: Monday
. Catholic schools: Monday

Lafourche

Lafourche Parish schools will remain closed through Tuesday, September 9,
2008. An announcement will be made on Monday if schools will be open on
Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Terrebone
Schools will be closed until further notice.

East Baton Rouge
.Classes resume- Monday Sept. 15th; pending power

West Baton Rouge
.Classes resume-Monday Sept. 15th; pending power

This came into my Email at 12:48 PM

I just got home and figured this was worth putting on the blog...


This is courtesy of a WWL blast Email.

Return dates, curfew times for southeastern La. parishes


Jefferson Parish:

Jefferson Parish residents are not allowed back into the parish until
businesses and and first responders are set up and prepared for them to
return.

The parish is implementing a two-phase re-entry plan. Tier 1 is made up of
critical businesses, contractors and first responders. Tier 2 is made up
of those businesses necessary to prepare for the return of residents, such
as groceries, pharmacies, gas stations and banks.

Both tiers are going to begin returning simultaneously Tuesday at noon.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 agencies and businesses must have "re-entry placards,"
which are credentials allowing them to enter and move about in the parish.

After Tier 1 and Tier 2 re-entry is complete, the parish will be open to
re-entry for residents.

A strict 24-hour curfew is in place throughout the parish, and residents
are instructed to stay inside their homes or face the possibility of
arrest.

Parish public schools and Archdiocesan parochial schools in Jefferson
Parish will remain closed through the end of this week.


Orleans Parish:

Right now New Orleans city officials are assessing the damage of Hurricane
Gustav, and there has been no set time table for when residents will be
able to return. Residents will not be allowed inside of the parish until
at least Wednesday, if not later.

Orleans is under curfew from dusk until dawn until further notice.


Plaquemines:

Plaquemines Parish residents are not allowed back into the parish and no
timeline has been set for them to return yet. That decision will be made
in the coming days by parish officials, who are still assessing damages
and services.

Only those with special passes will be allowed into the parish,
Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said, and family members are
not allowed to tag along into the parish with those who have passes.

Plaquemines Parish is under lockdown and a curfew is in place from 8 p.m.
to 6 a.m.


St. Bernard:

In what St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro calls a "very
ambitious" plan to return, officials are hoping that they will allow
residents back into St. Bernard as early as sometime Wednesday morning.

Taffaro said that public service workers began cleaning up Monday night,
with Entergy officials working on the ground to restore power. He warned
that residents who do opt to return early should expect to not have full
power or services, but that their homes are safe and secure.

St. Bernard Parish is under a 24-hour curfew until further notice.


St. Charles:

Residents are not allowed back into St. Charles Parish in the aftermath of
Hurricane Gustav. A decision is expected 4 p.m. Wednesday on when
residents will be allowed back into the parish.

A curfew is in place in St. Charles Parish from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. until
further notice.


St. John:

St. John residents are not allowed back into the parish until further
notice.

There is a curfew in place from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice.


St. Tammany:

St. Tammany Parish residents are not allowed back into the parish
following Hurricane Gustav. The decision on the timetable for their return
will be made sometime Tuesday.

There is a curfew in effect from dusk until dawn until further notice in
the Parish. In Bogalusa, however, officials lifted the curfew Tuesday
morning.


Tangipahoa:

Tangipahoa Parish officials will decide Tuesday when they will allow
residents back into the parish. No residents are allowed to return at the
moment.

There is currently a mandatory curfew in effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
daily.


Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish:

Terrebonne officials said that the tentative plan is to let residents back
in Friday at noon.

Lafourche officials will make the decision of when they will allow
residents to return to their homes sometime Wednesday.

There are still major power outages in both areas, along with trees
blocking roads and a lack of services, officials said.

There is a curfew in effect in Terrebonne and Lafourche until noon
Wednesday, and could continue thereafter.

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