JPSealGoldColor150x144.jpg

NEWS RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA

December 15, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH CONTINUES TO RESPOND TO TORNADO
Updates as of 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 15, 2022

JEFFERSON, LA – Jefferson Parish continues to respond to the tornado that impacted portions of Gretna, Marrero and Harvey on December 14, 2022.

The following are updates as of Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 5 p.m.:

Damage Assessment:
The Marrero Harvey Volunteer Fire Company #1 continues to assess damages on the west side of Harvey. A 2.4 mile area was surveyed from Harvey from Ames and Bell Terre to Destrehan Ave. and 4th Street. In this area, 15 structures were destroyed, 35 have major damage and 193 have minor damage. The Harvey Fire Department continue to assess damages on the east side of Harvey. A .75 mile area was surveyed from Peters Rd. and 8th St. to Manhattan Blvd. and 4th Street. In this area, 18 structures were destroyed, 27 have major damage and 47 have minor damage.

Sheltering Operations:
All Jefferson Parish residents in need of shelter due to the tornado should call the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at (504) 349-5360. If you know of someone who is medically vulnerable who needs shelter and assistance, please call the EOC.

Report Storm Damage:
Residents with storm damage to their home or business should report it to damage.la.gov. These reports help government authorities understand the location and severity of damage impacts.

Community Resources:
Jefferson Parish Government is working on a number of resources throughout the area and coordinating with many different organizations to help residents during this time.

An emergency resource center has been set up at Kings Grant Playground (3805 15th St., Harvey, LA 70058) for residents affected by the tornado. This center will be open tomorrow, December 16, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Food, water and cleaning supplies will be available. The Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority (JPHSA) will be onsite to provide assistance with lost medication and medical items. Connection to local nonprofits is also available.

There will be a tornado relief distribution site on Friday, December 16, Saturday, December 17 and Monday, December 19 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Marrero Senior Community Center, located at 1861 Ames Blvd. in Marrero. Tarps, hot meals and hygiene kits will be available.

The Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission (JEDCO) will offer free transitional office space with power, phones and internet to displaced Jefferson Parish businesses at the JEDCO headquarters in Churchill Technology and Business Park on Monday, December 19, 2022, for as long as the organization is able to do so. Reservations are made on a first-come-first serve basis. Offices are available between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Interested businesses must call in advance to reserve space. JEDCO is not accepting walk-ups at this time. Contact JEDCO Director of Facilities and Information Technology Scott Rojas at (504) 875-3916 or srojas@jedco.org to reserve space.

Donations:
Individuals interested in donating can give to the Jefferson Community Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund by CLICKING HERE (click “JCF Disaster Relief Fund” to specify the fund) or the Greater New Orleans Foundation's Disaster Response and Restoration Fund by CLICKING HERE (write "tornado" when asked to specify the fund). Organizations that would like to donate should email donations@jeffparish.net.

Entergy:
The current remaining customer outages in Jefferson Parish are now down to approximately 3,282 affected customers. Most of these remaining affected customers are located in areas near the most damages from yesterday’s storms which require more extensive work to restore power. Entergy's crews will continue work throughout the day to restore power to those customers who can safely take power. Some customers will not be able to take power due to damages to their property from the storms which will require the work of a licensed electrician, and parish/municipal permits before they are able to safely take permanent power. CLICK HERE for an up-to-date outage map.

COX:
Some power was restored overnight, which in turn restored cable, phone and internet services to impacted areas. COX anticipates this trend will continue as additional power is restored today. COX is continuing to assess impacts to its network and will provide more updates as available.

Generator Safety:
Jefferson Parish reminds residents that carbon monoxide from generators is deadly. Only use a generator in a well-ventilated area and place away from structures, at least 15 feet away from your home, windows and doors. Carbon monoxide poisoning is among the leading causes of death during storm events.

As more information is available, real-time updates will be posted to www.JeffParish.net and all official parish social media outlets.

For additional information regarding tornado recovery and response, please contact the Emergency Operations Center at (504) 349-5360 or visit www.JeffParish.net. Residents can also receive regular updates by following the Parish on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@JeffParishGov) or by texting JPALERT or JPNOTICIAS to 888-777. 

###

Jefferson Parish Public Information Office

1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Suite 1002

Jefferson, LA 70123

Twitter Blue Logo    Instagram    Facebook logo

JPALERT – SIGN UP TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY ALERTS

Gretchen Hirt Gendron, PIO