The aftermath of Hurricane Laura’s destruction in Allen Parish has kept its leaders busy organizing assistance and cleaning up the debris. And as some pointed out, employees still have to complete daily duties as well as the extra things related to the disaster.
“It’s the little things you keep going over and over,” Mayor Wayland LaFargue, Kinder, explained as he discussed how the community was doing.
He said his five man crew under the leadership and including Chester Braxton were doing a great job. Due to COVID, Kinder does not have the trustee crew to assist, so LaFargue said he was pleased when a group from New Orleans arrived in town to help clean up debris.
“They were a tremendous help.” He said they stayed a day-and-a-half before heading to their next location. In that time period, he said they cleared up 18 places and about 15 roadways around town. Kinder put them up for the night at city hall.
LaFargue also said two police officers, Bobby Thibodeaux and Rocky Fontenot, showed up with their own chain saws to assist in debris removal. And he can’t name all the members of the community who came out to support and help with debris.
“I appreciate all the efforts,” he said. “Kinder did a great job cleaning up. People have been great; helping one another, etc.”
His tip to share is that this is a process and it all takes time so please be patient. “It’s really an inconvenience for people, but we’ll make it through. We’ve got to be positive. That will go a long way.”
The Allen Parish Police Jury was meeting with mayors on Tuesday to discuss debris removal. By Wednesday, they hoped to have a plan in place for debris removal.
Reeves
Mayor Chris Guillory was busy Monday morning answering questions and trying to find services for his residents in Reeves.
Guillory said the National Guard had been in town giving supplies. He welcomed people in a 10 to 15 mile radius who needed supplies to come to town for assistance.
“Things are changing quickly,” he said as information and supplies are brought into the community. He encouraged citizens to keep track of Reeves’ Facebook™ page and the Reeves Fire Department. He said all updates were being given on those two pages.
On Monday morning (August 31), Guillory was looking for laundry services for Reeves. He said with the help of a generator at his house, they were assisting many residents with laundry services, but they needed more help. Like the other mayors in the parish, he was trying to meet the needs of his residents in various ways.
Oberlin
Mayor Joseph “Moochie” Manuel was busy on Monday morning (August 31) with sewer issues. With no electricity, he said they had been trying to work the pumps with generators. Finally, they called in someone to help. He said the process wasn’t cheap but needed to be done for the residents of Oberlin.
Manuel also was busy waiting on Cleco. He anticipated the town would have lights that day. (Cleco had released a press release stating it was working to bring electricity to Kinder, Oberlin and Oakdale by the end of the day. At the end of the day on Monday, Cleco reported all Oberlin customers had lights. They were still working in Kinder and Oakdale, but some customers had been restored.)
Manuel, like the other leaders, praised the assistance he had received from Sheriff Doug Hebert III and the sheriff’s office. He praised the assistance the sheriff’s office has given to Oberlin during this disaster and he wanted to thank everyone for that help.
Manuel thanked Cleco for the job they had performed. He said 90 percent of his community were on the Cleco lines and he hoped they would all have electricity by the end of the day, marking the fifth day without the services.
He encouraged residents to keep updated by Facebook™. He said Oberlin had its own page, and he was planning to create his own page.
There was no damage to city hall. In town, a lot of trees went down, and those trees were being cut and pushed to the side of the road. He discussed the upcoming meeting where he hoped to have more information on debris removal.
Manuel was pleased the town’s new tank kept the water supply going with a generator. At one point a tree fell on the main line shutting the water off for a short time. This caused a boil advisory to be given, but he said the new tank provided water for most of the time.
The National Guard has been at the Civic Center here giving out water, meals, ice, etc. He said the Guard has done an outstanding job.
