Late yesterday city and parish officials gathered in Slidell along Old Spanish Trail for a press conference to demonstrate some of the damage Slidell received on Wednesday, and also to address steps they were taking to fix it.
Slidell Mayor Greg Cromer spoke about the strength of his city’s residents and that they had been in this situation before. He thanked the first responders and government officials who had spent the day in Slidell. And Cromer spoke of the assistance that he knew would come, be it from faith based organizations, government institutions, or simply individuals who wanted to help.
St Tammany School Superintendent Frank Jabbia expressed relief that they had made the decision to close the schools Wednesday and reported that they were still in the process of evaluating school buildings. Jabbia said they had downed trees and limbs on numerous campuses and damage on many surrounding streets. He said many schools were still without power and parishwide resources were helping the hardest hit areas to recover. Therefore, they had decided to remain closed district wide for Thursday as well.
STPG said last night that one shelter remains open at Creekside Junior High in Pearl River, which is providing shelter for eight people. The Lacombe Recreation Center shelter has been closed. All St. Tammany Parish Government offices will be closed on Thursday, April 11, as they are deploying employees into the community to help citizens. Citizens who experienced damage as a result of yesterday’s weather should email damage@stpgov.org with their information.
