2-18-21
SOME SCHOOLS SYSTEMS IN THE KAJN LISTENING AREA HAVE ALREADY ANNOUNCED CLOSURES FOR TOMORROW. IN ACADIANA, VERMILLION PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED. LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY IS ALSO SHUTTING DOWN CLASSES FOR TOMORROW. IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA, THE CALCASIEU PARISH SCHOOL BOARD SCHOOLS AND FACILITIES WILL BE CLOSED DUE TO PIPE LEAKS, LITTLE TO NO WATER PRESSURE AND HEATING ISSUES.
GOVERNOR JOHN BEL EDWARDS IS ASKING PRESIDENT BIDEN TO DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR LOUISIANA BECAUSE OF THE WINTER STORMS. AS OF YESTERDAY MORE THAN SIXTY-TWO THOUSAND WERE WITHOUT POWER, MORE THAN FORTY-EIGHT THOUSAND HAD NO WATER, AND NEARLY A MILLION ARE UNDER BOIL ADVISORIES. EDWARDS SAYS AREAS STILL RECOVERING FROM THE HURRICANES HAVE BEEN HIT THE HARDEST. THE GOVERNOR IS ASKING FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING COMMODITIES AND SUPPLIES FOR THOSE DEALING WITH OUTAGES AND EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE MEASURES.
THERE’S BEEN A THIRD DEATH IN LOUISIANA ATTRIBUTED TO THE WINTRY WEATHER. A SEVENTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD MAN IN CALCASIEU PARISH DIED WHEN HE FELL INTO AN ICE-COVERED POOL AND DROWNED. THE OTHER TWO DEATHS EARLIER THIS WEEK WERE IN LAFAYETTE PARISH. A FIFTY-YEAR-OLD MAN DIED AFTER SLIPPING ON ICE AND HITTING HIS HEAD AND AN ELDERLY WOMAN DIED FROM EXPOSURE WHILE WANDERING IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD.
OPELOUSAS MAYOR JULIUS ALSANDOR IS ASKING RESIDENTS TO NOT RUN THEIR WATER FAUCETS. HE SAYS THOSE WHO ARE CONTINUALLY RUNNING THEM ARE CAUSING THEIR WATER RESERVES TO GET LOW. ALSANDOR SAYS THEY ARE BEING PROACTIVE BY LOWERING THE AMOUNT OF WATER GOING OUT TO CUSTOMERS SO THEY CAN REBUILD THE RESERVES. HE SAYS THIS CAN GO ON FOR SEVERAL DAYS UNTIL THE TANKS ARE FULL.
TWO PEOPLE HAVE ALLEGEDLY ADMITTED THEY LOOTED THE ACADIANA MALL ON MONDAY WHEN IT WAS CLOSED BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER. CORPORAL BRIDGETTE DUGAS SAYS THIRTY-YEAR-OLD JAMIE SIMAR AND SIXTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD VAUGHN SAVOY MAY HAVE ENTERED THROUGH AN UNLOCKED DOOR AND, ONCE INSIDE, LOOTED TWO KIOSKS, BEFORE FLEEING. SHE SAYS THE TWO WERE INVOLVED IN A TRAFFIC CRASH NEAR CADE AND ST. MARTINVILLE AND A STATE TROOPER NOTICED ALL THE ITEMS IN THEIR VEHICLE. WHEN QUESTIONED, THE TWO ALLEGEDLY ADMITTED THEY TOOK THEM FROM THE MALL.
ABBEVILLE POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR A PERSON WHO SHOT AND KILLED A MAN ON TUESDAY. AT AROUND FIVE-TWENTY TUESDAY AFTERNOON, POLICE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AT GREEN STREET NEAR SOUTH LAMAR, WHERE THEY FOUND A MAN WITH A GUNSHOT WOUND. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, WHERE HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD. THE NAME OF THE VICTIM HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ON THE SHOOTING IS ASKED TO CONTACT THE ABBEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
LOUISIANA HAD FIVE HUNDRED ELEVEN NEW CONFIRMED COVID-NINETEEN CASES, IN TODAY’S REPORT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR COVID-NINETEEN CONTINUE TO DROP WITH ANOTHER TWENTY-SIX FEWER TODAY. HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS EDGED UPWARDS BY TWO. THERE WERE THIRTEEN MORE DEATHS STATEWIDE.
SIX OF THOSE THIRTEEN DEATHS, NEARLY HALF, WERE IN ACADIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. ACADIA PARISH ADDED THREE MORE DEATHS, WHILE ST. MARTIN, CALCASIEU AND JEFF DAVIS PARISHES HAD ONE EACH. ACADIANA REPORTED SEVENTY-FOUR NEW CONFIRMED COVID-NINETEEN CASES INCLUDING EIGHTEEN IN LAFAYETTE PARISH. SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA HAD THIRTEEN NEW CASES, ELEVEN OF WHICH WERE IN CALCASIEU PARISH.
