Iberia bracing for storm

Tropical storm force winds from Hurricane Ike are expected throughout today, and as was the case less than two weeks ago with Hurricane Gustav, local public safety agencies are at the ready.

Iberia Parish President Ernest Freyou said that a temporary shelter will be open exclusively for residents who live in low-lying areas of the parish. The shelter will be at Iberia Middle School at 613 Weeks Island Road in New Iberia and will available to residents of these areas of the parish as of 7 a.m. today.

“The biggest issue will be these low-lying areas, such as Delcambre,” Freyou said on Thursday. “Residents need to furnish identification and proof that they in fact live in one of these low-lying areas. They should also bring enough clothes, medicine and whatever else they need for an overnight stay. Shelter space is on a first come, first served basis.”

Residents who have questions about the shelter can call the Parish Office of Emergency Management at 369-4427. Phone lines will be open at that office 24 hours during the emergency. Freyou added although there is presently no curfew for the parish for Hurricane Ike, that is subject to change.

“We will likely look at the electrical power situation in making that decision,” Freyou said.

Freyou said residents who have piles of debris by the road near their property are advised to weigh them down.

The Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office is operating under normal conditions, although a parishwide state of emergency has been declared.

“We are prepared to put our emergency plan back into operation as with Hurricane Gustav,” said Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Wendell Raborn. “All deputies have been notified to be on standby and available to report to work when called.”

Raborn also said that the main concern from the storm is likely to be flooding.

“We’re not expecting as of right now to be directly impacted by hurricane force winds,” Raborn said Thursday. “However, that could of course change. We’ll have to watch this thing as it gets closer.”

Raborn said that once wind speeds reach 55 to 60 mph and are sustained at that level, sheriff’s deputies are pulled off the road as conditions are simply not safe. He also strongly discourages parish residents from traveling during tropical storm or hurricane force winds.

“If it’s not an emergency, stay home,” Raborn said.

New Iberia Fire Department Chief Ronnie Borque reiterated this concern, saying that fire department personnel will be recalled once winds reach as sustained speed of 50 mph.

“That’s when encourage people to hunker down and ride out the storm,” Borque said. “When the wind speeds get up to 50 mph, we call off operations. We will not jeopardize the safety of our first responders. We are standing by and ready to respond if something happens.”

Lt. Larry Toups, commanding officer of the New Iberia based Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 156th Infantry of the Louisiana National Guard, said his unit has been requested, by the parish, to provide security support and search and rescue, if need be.

“We have about 70 personnel and six high-water vehicles to use in search and rescue efforts, plus a complement of six Humvees to support security operations,” Toups said.

The city of New Iberia will be distributing sandbags at 907 Fulton Street from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. today in preparation for Hurricane Ike. A press release from Mayor Hilda Curry’s office said the bags “will be filled with sand and ready to go.”

Superintendents of Teche Area school districts decided about midday Thursday to cancel classes in all public schools.

“We decided to err on the side of caution on this one, Iberia Parish Superintendent Dale Henderson said.

Daily Iberian writers Mary Catharine Martin and Jim Mustian contributed to this story.