On Friday St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper sought to clarify the language and addresses concerns regarding the Executive Order he signed on August 3.
The language in the third paragraph of the sixth page of the Executive Order mirrors the statutory language of La. Rev. Statute 29:727, which provides the powers available to parish presidents in a declared emergency. That statute states, in part, that when a parish president declares a local disaster or emergency, he may, “subject to any applicable requirements for compensation, commandeer or utilize any private property if he finds this necessary to cope with the local disaster.”
For example, the provision allows the government the ability to use a citizen’s boat to rescue flood victims, a commercial parking lot for the distribution of food and water or a drug store’s medical supplies, if necessary, to treat patients in an emergency.
The government would still be responsible for paying the property owner for use of their property.
Cooper said the statute has provided these powers to parish presidents since 1993, and this language has been included in St. Tammany Parish Executive Orders since at least 2005, spanning three administrations.
