BATON ROUGE, La. (WGNO) — A proclamation signed by Governor John Bel Edwards looks to assist emergency workers and victims affected by Hurricane Ida.
On Monday, Edwards signed a proclamation to help house disaster workers assisting in Hurricane Ida recovery, including first responders, utility workers, and health care workers.
The proclamation is an effort to assist Louisiana hotels by authorizing them to cancel any reservations that would result in the displacement of emergency personnel.
Visitors planning to visit Louisiana for reasons not related to Ida should verify with their hotel to ensure their rooms are not already occupied by critical workers.
In a statement following the proclamation, Governor Edwards said:
“Right now, the priority for the entire state of Louisiana is Hurricane Ida recovery, and we simply cannot afford to have any of our first responders, health care employees, or utility workers pushed out of their hotel rooms for any reason. It’s unacceptable that those working around the clock to support our state would be kicked out on the streets,” Gov. Edwards said. “Southeast Louisiana still has more than half a million power outages caused by Hurricane Ida, and power restoration is a major hurdle for communities still struggling after the storm. We will do whatever it takes to keep our people safe and to get services restored as quickly as we can.”
Governor John Bel Edwatds, September 6, 2021
A second point in the proclamation also suspends all legal deadlines in the state until September 24, affirming the Louisiana Supreme Court’s recent order to suspend prescription, preemption, and abandonment in legal proceedings across the state. The court also suspended certain criminal proceeding deadlines in parishes affected by Hurricane Ida.
View those Louisiana Supreme Court orders here and here.
The governor also commented on the new court guidelines, saying:
“People all over the state of Louisiana are spending this week assessing the damages done to their homes and communities and are putting their lives back together after the ravages of Hurricane Ida. We need for them to be focused on recovery and not whether they will be held to a court deadline. We still have several parishes in the state where 100 percent of the homes and businesses are without power. The people who live and work there simply cannot be expected to comply with deadlines that were in place before the storm.”
Governor John Bel Edwatds, September 6, 2021
The proclamation is set to expire on September 24 unless extended. View the full proclamation by clicking here.
