Snow Slows Parish Activity

BOBBY ARDOIN

Editor/Consulting Writer

Buried amid nearly nine inches of snowy brilliance, normal residential and commercial activity came to a chilly halt Tuesday throughout Opelousas and St. Landry Parish.

St. Landry is anticipating more sub 20-degree weather early Wednesday morning, with similar temperatures persisting into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Parish roads on Tuesday were without notable traffic, while nearly every Opelousas store was shuttered as St. Landry attempted to cope with a frigid climatic occurrence that hasn’t occurred in decades.

Opelousas city officials are urging residents to limit water consumption and avoid dripping water pipes due to the potential of low water pressure, while parish and municipal officials issued a late afternoon parishwide curfew that won’t be lifted until 5 am on Wednesday.

Parish president Jessie Bellard said parish roadways are expected to become more treacherous overnight on Tuesday and into Wednesday, since water located underneath the snow will begin to freeze and turn into slippery layers of ice.

“Right now the roads are very unsafe and it won’t get any better overnight,” Bellard said during a late Tuesday afternoon interview with St. Landry Now. com.

The City Situation

Police Chief Greg LeBlanc and alderman-at-large Marvin Richard traveled the Opelousas streets in a parish government-issued truck on Tuesday afternoon, surveying a slushy municipal grid pattern that was beginning to ice over and devoid of traffic.

The 4-wheel-drive vehicle with LeBlanc and Richard inside traveled carefully over La. 182 south and back towards Opelousas, reaching a safe speed of not more than 19 miles per-hour.

Parish Roads

Bellard said road crews began clearing primary municipal and rural thoroughfares on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the snow showers that pelted St. Landry for nearly 12 hours finally abated.

“We started at around 2 p.m. and we cleared one lane of traffic on Landry and Vine Streets (in Opelousas), in addition to Wallior Street and Prudhomme lane,” Bellard said during the interview.

The crews were expected to work on Creswell Land and the Interstate 49 aread, according to Bellard.

Bellard said parish workers also bladed roads that lead to the Wal-Mart distribution center to enable delivery trucks to reach the facility and provide safer access for employees.

In Eunice the crews cleared Laurel Avenue in addition to streets connecting to La.Highway 13.

Bellard said the road clearing effort also included areas of La. 31 and La. 182.

At The Shelter

LeBlanc said there were 10 officer patrols traversing Opelousas on Tuesday, with the same number of officers working the night shift.

“We also spent time bringing people to the (warming) shelter during the day and answering calls from people who need other types of assistance mainly because of the weather,” LeBlanc said.

Richard said Med-Express in Opelousas provided medical help throughout Tuesday.

Parish employee CiCi Savoy, who was operating the shelter at what was formerly Indian Hills Country Club, said 16 individuals – predominantly males – began seeking refuge at the shelter guarded by security beginning Sunday night.

Most of the shelter occupants are from Opelousas, but several others came from other parts of the parish, Savoy said.

Those at the shelter were able to receive food, a warm bed with blankets, donated coats, sweatshirts, sweaters and other winter clothing in addition to access at shower facilities, according to Savoy.