ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — When it comes to hurricane season, preparation is key and folks in St. Tammany Parish know it’s never too early to start.
Members of local law enforcement and parish government officials came together for a training on how to react to scenarios residents may be in this hurricane season. This includes state troopers, police officers and first responders to name a few.
The three hour training course detailed how each agency should respond to an emergency call during a hurricane.
“The calls will come in, it goes through our controllers and then each situation will go into those individual departments and they’ll handle whatever they may be,” said Michael Vinsanau, Public Information Officer with St. Tammany Parish Government.
But hurricane preparedness doesn’t stop there.
“Always make sure that you’re aware of your personal risk. You know, hurricanes have storm surge, rain, flooding, tornadoes, wind — there’s a whole gamut of risks that come with it,” said Lauren Nash, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
And as we know in southeast Louisiana, the best way to handle risk is with preparation.
Something National guardsman Timothy Cowsar knows all too well.
“Oh it’s absolutely essential, for soldiers, first responders, anyone who’s going to be out during the storm. You’re going to turn around and you’re going to draw on the things that you’ve already done comfortably in an emergency situation when instinct takes over,” said Cowsar.
With hurricane season a week away, residents and first responders know just how critical it is to be ready.
For sandbagging locations, you can visit the locations below:
St. Tammany Parish Government- Building 21410 Koop Dr., Mandeville
St. Tammany Parish Public Works- Airport Road Barn 34583 Grantham College Rd, Slidell, La
The Old Levee District Site 61134 Military Road (Hwy 190) Slidell, La.
St. Tammany Parish Public Works- Fritchie Barn 63119 Highway 1090 in Pearl River
St. Tammany Parish Public Works Barn- Keller Barn 63131 Fish Hatchery Road, Lacombe
St. Tammany Parish Public Works Barn- Covington Barn 1305 N. Florida Street, Covington