GOTTA HAVE A PLAN
HURRICANE SUPPLY LIST FROM THE COAST GUARD
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Entergy’s Storm Ready Guide
http://entergystormcenter.com/pdfs/StormReadyGuide.pdf
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Tropical Tidbits
http://www.tropicaltidbits.com/
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If you think the City of New Orleans is going to clean the catch basin in front of your home please rethink that plan.
If you don’t clean the catch basin in front of your home it is you who will suffer the consequences.
Please consider cleaning the catch basins in and around your home NOW!
A catch basin, which is also known as a storm drain inlet or curb inlet, is an opening to the storm drain system that typically includes a grate or curb inlet at street level where storm water enters the catch basin and a sump captures sediment, debris and associated pollutants. Catch basins are able to prevent trash and other floatable materials from entering the drainage system by capturing such debris by way of a hooded outlet. The outlet pipes for catch basins on combined sewers (sanitary waste and storm water in a single pipe) are also outfitted with a flapper (trap) device to prevent the backflow of any unpleasant odors from pipes. Catch basins act as pretreatment for other treatment practices by allowing larger sediments to settle in the basin sump areas.
It is important to maintain catch basins to prevent storm sewer blockages and minimize the amount of pollutants entering storm sewers which may eventually discharge into local streams and waterways such as Lake Ponchartrain. Clogged catch basins can also result in the ponding of water along streets and parking lots causing a nuisance to motorists, pedestrians and businesses.
How you can help: When you are clearing your sidewalk or driveway, dispose of waste in trash receptacles instead of sweeping it into the gutters or catch basins.
If leaves or other debris are blocking a catch basin near your house or business, remove and dispose of the debris properly. Article from: http://www.bwsc.org/PROJECTS/Maintenance/catchbasin.asp
Some may remember that the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association has reminded people through the years to use their brains and clean their drains. Anyone who has been through a major storm or regular rainfall in New Orleans knows that clogged catch basins contribute significantly to street flooding.
The pumps can’t pump what they can’t get. If your catch basin is clogged, please clean it today. If you need help, get with your neighbors and clean all the catch basins on your street. If you still need help, write to [email protected] and we’ll help you get it done.
If your catch basin requires mechanical cleaning or maintenance, call 311 to report the problem.
THE CITY IS ASKING THAT YOU CALL 311 FOR
CATCH BASINS THAT NEED MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT TO CLEAR
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP: Clean litter and debris from the catch basins near your house. Also, clean the surrounding curb area, because any litter, leaves, or grass on the street or sidewalk can end up in the catch basin. Do not lift the drain cover or attempt to disassemble the catch basin; just clean what you can see. All you need is a pair of work gloves, a shovel or small rake, and a trash bag. Remember: If your neighbor is elderly or disabled, please help clean their catch basin too.
2) Dispose of trash and lawn clippings in trash cans. Do not sweep or blow yard waste into the gutters and catch basins. Remember: Trash in our streets ends up as trash in our lake!
3) Construction sites or sites with hazardous materials must take special precautions to properly dispose of their paint and chemicals. They should not sweep, blow or hose waste into the catch basins. Report any improper actions to the City of New Orleans by calling 311.
Residents are advised to stay at home during the severe weather unless an emergency makes it absolutely necessary for them to get on the road. The NOPD will ticket motorists who drive faster than 5 mph on streets with standing water.
The following is a list of streets prone to significant flooding during severe weather.
Calliope @ Claiborne towards Tchoupitoulas St
Calliope & Tchoupitoulas St On-ramps
I-10 and Tulane Exit towards Claiborne
Airline & Tulane Ave intersection
4400 Block of Washington
Washington Ave. near Xavier
All surrounding streets to St. Charles flooded, Gravier/Tulane/S Dupre, S Claiborne/Washington.
Claiborne/Orleans Ave.
S Carrollton/Palmetto
Magazine/St Mary
Broad/Louisiana Ave./S.Claiborne
Josephine/Prytania
Earhart/Jeff Davis-Carrollton
500 blk of Lake Marina
Canal Blvd/I-10/Navarre
Erato/S Genois/City Park/Carrollton
Washington Ave. near Xavier, Washington
Gravier/Tulane/S Dupre
S Claiborne/Washington
Simon Bolivar & Calliope coming from Loyola Ave under the overpass
Poland Ave from St Claude to N. Claiborne
S. Claiborne at Joseph
Holiday to the Crescent City Connection
Shirley and DeGaulle
DeGaulle under the Westbank Expressway
General Meyer from Pace to Shirley
Richland and General Meyer
MacArthur and Holiday
Tullis
Garden Oaks
Chelsea
Vespasian and Wall
The City’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is monitoring the severe weather and will keep residents updated through e-mail alert and the Twitter handle @nolaready.
What are catch basins?
Catch basins are the grated storm drains that you see on almost every street corner. They are storm sewer inlets – typically located next to street curbs – that are the entryway from our streets to our pumping system and represent the first step in stormwater collection and disposal. On rainy days, rainwater and anything else on the streets enter catch basins.
How do catch basins get clogged?
Catch basins have grids to prevent large objects from falling into the sewer system. However, the bars are fairly widely spaced so that the flow of water is not blocked. Consequently, many objects fall through.
What are the consequences of clogged catch basins?
When catch basins get clogged with recently fallen leaves and debris, water can no longer be drained from the street. Water ponds along streets and can flood intersections and homes. Localized street flooding can be a hazard to the traveling public.
Contrary to popular belief, pet wastes, oil and other materials dumped into catch basins do not go to the wastewater treatment plant, but instead flow directly into Lake Ponchartrain. For example: dumping oil into a catch basin can have almost unthinkable consequences. If it reaches a river, lake, or stream, five quarts of oil can create a slick as large as two football fields and persist on mud or plants for six months or more.
It is important to monitor and clean catch basins to prevent street flooding, property damage, and hazards to the traveling public.
How can you help keep catch basins clean?
To lessen street flooding, the City asks residents to help clean the inlets and catch basins near your house or business. The grates of catch basins can become clogged with leaves or litter, especially in the fall and winter. Regularly inspect the grate and remove debris.
Stand on the curb and use a rake or pitch fork to clear leaves, limbs, and debris from the catch basin. Do not attempt to remove the grate, only the debris on top of the grate. Dispose of the debris properly.
The best time to inspect the catch basin in front of your house or business is prior to a rain event. Monitor and clean the catch basin in the fall when the trees are shedding their leaves. When the forecast calls for heavy rainfall, remove debris from the catch basin before a storm. After a storm, maintain the openings to catch basins by clearing away any debris.
Disposing of leaves and debris
When you are clearing your sidewalk or driveway, dispose of waste in trash receptacles instead of sweeping it into the gutters or catch basins. Please do not rake or blow the leaves from your yard into the street.. Dispose of leaves and yard debris in trash containers for pick up.
Getting help
If you see a catch basin filled with debris below the grate, or if you cannot clear the basin near your property yourself, call 311. Never attempt to remove catch basin grates, only the debris on top of the grate.
How you can help keep catch basins clean
The following simple actions can help keep streets open and catch basins clean:
- Monitor and clean the catch basin near your house or business, especially prior to a rain event.
- Stand on the curb and use a rake or pitch fork to clear leaves and debris from catch basins so that water can drain easily. Do not try to remove the grate.
- Do not rake or blow leaves from your yard into the street. Bag them at the curb in the parking strip and prepare them for curbside pickup by your garbage hauler.
- Dispose of waste in trash receptacles instead of sweeping it into the gutters or catch basins. Dispose of leaves and yard debris in curbside yard debris containers. Pile shoveled snow where it can be absorbed into the ground.
- Notify the City at 311 if you cannot clear a catch basin yourself.
What else can I do to prevent flooding?
Use non-phosphorus detergents
Do not pour or throw anything into a storm drain.
Use native plants for landscaping around your home
Limit the use of fertilizers on your yard, especially before a large rain
Pick up pet waste from your yard and while walking your dog
Build a rain garden to capture storm water runoff from your house and yard
Install a rain barrel or cistern to store rain water to water plants
We could change the world
in the night while we are sleeping
The power’s in my neighborhood
https://youtu.be/Gkgna7erlqw
Make a Plan The reality of a disaster situation is that you will likely not have access to everyday conveniences. To plan in advance, think through the details of your everyday life.
Develop a Family Emergency Plan.Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so plan how you will contact one another and review what you will do in different situations.
Consider a plan where each family member calls, or e-mails, the same friend or relative in the event of an emergency. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members. Depending on your circumstances and the nature of the attack, the first important decision is whether you stay put or get away. You should understand and plan for both possibilities.
Watch television and listen to the radio for official instructions as they become available.
Create a Personal Support Network: If you anticipate needing assistance during a disaster, ask family, friends and others to be part of your plan. Share each aspect of your emergency plan with everyone in your group, including a friend or relative in another area who would not be impacted by the same emergency who can help if necessary. Include the names and numbers of everyone in your personal support network, as well as your medical providers in your emergency supply kit. Make sure that someone in your personal support network has an extra key to your home and knows where you keep your emergency supplies. If you use a wheelchair or other medical equipment, show friends how to use these devices so they can move you if necessary and teach them how to use any lifesaving equipment or administer medicine in case of an emergency. Practice your plan with those who have agreed to be part of your personal support network. Inform your employer and co-workers about your disability and let them know specifically what assistance you will need in an emergency. Talk about communication difficulties, physical limitations, equipment instructions and medication procedures. Always participate in trainings and emergency drills offered by your employer.
Consider Your Service Animal or Pets: Whether you decide to stay put or evacuate, you will need to make plans in advance for your service animal and pets. Keep in mind that what’s best for you is typically what’s best for your animals. If you must evacuate, take your pets with you, if possible. However, if you are going to a public shelter, make sure that they allow pets. Some only allow service animals. Fire Safety: Plan two ways out of every room in case of fire. Check for items such as bookcases, hanging pictures or overhead lights that could fall and block an escape path.
Create a Plan to Shelter-in-Place: There are circumstances when staying put and creating a barrier between yourself and potentially contaminated air outside, a process known as sheltering-in-place and sealing the room can be a matter of survival. If you see large amounts of debris in the air, or if local authorities say the air is badly contaminated, you may want to shelter-in-place and seal the room. Consider precutting plastic sheeting to seal windows, doors and air vents. Each piece should be several inches larger than the space you want to cover so that you can duct tape it flat against the wall. Label each piece with the location of where it fits. Immediately turn off air conditioning, forced air heating systems, exhaust fans and clothes dryers. Take your emergency supplies and go into the room you have designated. Seal all windows, doors and vents. Understand that sealing the room is a temporary measure to create a barrier between you and contaminated air. Listen to the radio for instructions from local emergency management officials.
Create a Plan to Get Away: Plan in advance how you will assemble your family and anticipate where you will go. Choose several destinations in different directions so you have options in an emergency. Become familiar with alternate routes as well as other means of transportation out of your area. If you do not have a car, plan how you will leave if you have to. If you typically rely on elevators, have a back-up plan in case they are not working. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together.
You need to be ready… NOLA READY!
On the Web – http://new.nola.gov/ready/
Via Email – http://new.nola.gov/ready/emergency-alerts/
On Twitter – https://twitter.com/nolaready
On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NOHSEP
Readiness starts with you
Whether manmade or natural, every emergency situation is different, and requires both citizen and City to be prepared. From the Final Four to the Super Bowl, all-hazards alerts to hurricane evacuations, 24/7, 365 days a year, agencies across the City of New Orleans work to keep you safe and our city prepared for any event or emergency.
For our City to be ready, our citizens must be ready.
We must take all take important steps to prepare for an emergency. At NOLA Ready, we provide all the information residents need to travel their own road to being ready, including how to:
City-Assisted Evacuation
City-Assisted Evacuation assists Orleans Parish residents and/or tourists who cannot self-evacuate during a mandatory City-wide evacuation by providing transportation from designated City evacuation pick-up points to the Union Pacific Terminal bus station, for outbound transportation to State and Federal shelters. Learn more here.
A CHECKLIST OF ITEMS FOR HURRICANE PREPARATION
- Prescription medication for a month
- Aspirin and non-prescription medicine
- FIRST AID KIT
- Antibiotic ointment
- CASH
- Drinking water (2 gallons per day per person)
- Containers for storing water
- Non-perishable food
- Eating utensils, paper plates and towels
- Baby supplies (up to 3 weeks)
- Non-electric can opener
- Battery powered TV or radio
- TOILET PAPER
- Boards for your windows
- Matches
- Fire Extinguisher
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Lantern with extra fuel
- Fuel for your generator or saw
- Aluminum foil
- INSECT REPELLENT
- Month’s supply of pet food
- Cat litter
- Tools and shovel
- Latex and regular work gloves
- SIGNAL LIGHT
- AX IN ATTIC
- Rope or heavy cord
- DISINFECTANT
- Toiletries and feminine supplies
- Soap and liquid detergent
- Household bleach without lemon
- GARBAGE BAGS
- Sturdy work shoes or work boots
- RAIN GEAR AND A CHANGE OF CLOTHES
- Have a plan of action for your pets. Many shelters will not take them. Call the SPCA for more information to help you prepare for evacuating your pets… (504) 368-5191.
- http://www.la-spca.org
Click here for a PDF of the full presentation.
For more information, please visit the LSU AG CENTER online at http://lsuagcenter.com
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You may want to consider evacuating with help of Evacuteer.org. This resource is designed to help New Orleans residents safely evacuate. As travel around the city, you will notice the addition of 14-foot sculptures in your neighborhood. These art pieces resembling waving figures are the culmination of art and functionality. These are designated evacuation pickup points (EvacuSpots) across the city. In the event of an evacuation, these EvacuSpots will be run by Evacuteers who will register and assist evacuees with luggage and pets at each of the locations.
photo courtesy Kirsten & Allie Kirsten & Allie said, Its pose seems symbolic as much as aesthetic, drawing people to it as if to say, “stick with me and I will guide you.” And that’s exactly what the statue does, because it marks an ‘EvacuSpot.’ Check out their article about EVACUTEER at: http://adaptationstories.com/2013/07/18/new-orleans-gives-evacuation-plan-an-artists-touch/
Evacuteer.org recruits, trains, and manages evacuation volunteers who assist with New Orleans’ mandatory evacuations.
During an activation, volunteers work to move 30,000+ citizens without access to reliable transportation. Evacuteers work at each one of the 17 EvacuSpots, at the Union Passenger Terminal for evacuee processing, and at City Hall to assist with the 311 Call Center.
“Thought you would like to know that our front yard did beautifully yesterday!” This message brought to you by the owners of the Broadmoor house that used to get 8″ in their front yard after a hard rain who participated in the #FrontYardInitiative.
The driveway on the left and bioswale on the right now capture and slow water from entering the city’s system. Photo below shows what used to happen after a one-hour 2″ rain (Broadmoor got 5.49″ in a matter of hours on Aug 5.) Evans + Lighter Landscape Architecture Quality Sitework Materials Truegrid Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. Details about the program in the link:
http://www.urbanconservancy.org/project/fyi/
The Front Yard Initiative is the Urban Conservancy’s response to excessive yard paving. Rampant front yard paving is a community issue that has broad and significant effects on the city of New Orleans from stormwater to safety.
Stormwater management in New Orleans has been characterized by regularly overwhelmed drainage systems, excessive paving and pumping that has depleted groundwater levels and led to a sinking city, and urban water assets being wasted while hidden behind walls, underground, or pumped into the river and lake. All of these issues and the failure of traditional infrastructure (levees, pipes and pumps) to protect the city from Hurricane Katrina, continuous flooding, and subsidence has led to a shift in mindset regarding the most effective and thoughtful way to manage stormwater in South Louisiana. It is clear that the single-minded approach of rushing stromwater over pavement, into pipes and pumping it out of the city needs to be reevaluated.
