Latest news with #OfficeofHomelandSecurityandEmergencyPreparedness
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
St. Tammany Parish leaders discuss hurricane preparations
St. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WGNO) — St. Tammany Parish leaders joined first responders and the national weather service to discuss hurricane preparedness Thursday, June 12. Officials said preparations may look different this season due to the Louisiana National Guard taking over the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Celebrate Fourth of July in style at these Greater New Orleans events However, GOHSEP'S interim director said their goals remain the same. Officials said the merge won't negatively affect preparations and response. They said they aim to make operations efficient using the advantages of the National Orleans public defenders prepared to aid if Antoine Massey, Derrick Groves surrender Toasty temps and isolated storms for Thursday Person fatally struck by train in St. Rose 'Immaturity': Rand Paul rips White House after being 'uninvited' from picnic Learning dance moves from 'Velma Kelly' from Broadway's 'Chicago' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Homeless individuals keeping spirits high for a home post-New Orleans Transitional Center
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The Super Bowl has come and gone, and Mardi Gras is almost here. However, many of the homeless individuals, now staying at a temporary shelter set up by the state near the Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood, are still hopeful for housing vouchers. 'They're not going to put anybody back on the street. They're going to make sure everyone has housing. It's not going to be a need for another shelter,' said unhoused individual Ronnie Hill. Scrim to serve as Krewe of Barkus' Grand Marshal Mike Steele with the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says after a couple of bumps in the road, they've made strides to see what they can do to help everyone get on their feet. 'Some may be a better fit for Louisiana housing corporation vouchers, some on that potential to travel to an outside state. All of that would have to be verified with the social workers that they actually had a point to go to,' said Steele. Hill says after traveling to different states, New Orleans is the only place that helps homeless people find housing. 'You just have homeless people out on the street. They don't have these types of programs. So, this is a blessing right here, people are working hard. They're doing everything they supposed to do, and they are helping the homeless,' said Hill. John Land agrees, saying those at the shelter have been accommodating. Yet, he feels uneasy about whether everyone will be able to receive housing. 'Far as I can tell they are working hard to get us housing. They're just filing the papers and filling out the paperwork and then sending them to the state department. They're waiting on the vouchers. I hope I get housed, I hope I didn't come out here for nothing. That would be disappointing,' said Land. Beloved New Orleans food critic, author Tom Fitzmorris dies Steele explains there's not a firm deadline or time when it's going to end, as the last thing they want to do is just put people back on the streets. 'A lot of that's going to depend on the social workers working with this group. Let's say we have a big group of 50 left, need two weeks past what we're under contract to operate at then they're not going to shut it down,' said Steele. Steele says their team will continue to do their best to find solutions for those looking to turn their life around and find adequate 100 vehicles involved in Oregon highway crash amid 'whiteout' conditions Louisiana health leaders: Government should stop pushing vaccines, focus on trust in medicine Humpback whale briefly swallows kayaker — and it's all captured on camera Trump's buyout offer accepted by about 77,000 federal workers, White House says Pine Prairie ICE officer accused of possession of drugs in the facility Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mayor announces new satellite office in North Baton Rouge
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards announced the opening of a new satellite office in North Baton Rouge. During a press conference, Edwards said this was one of the first things they would create during his campaign. The location will be at the Mayor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness at 3773 Harding Blvd. 'It means a lot for North Baton Rouge to have access to the mayor and to the mayor's office,' Edwards said. The hub will provide the same services as the office in City Hall downtown, including future permit requests and allowing residents to voice their concerns. Edwards said the satellite office should help alleviate stress for residents who face transportation issues. What to know about early voting for Feb. 15 Special Primary election: Dates, times, things to bring Chief Service Officer Yolanda Burnette-Lankford spoke on District 2 Councilman Anthony Kenney's behalf, saying their main goal was to meet the people where they are. Edwards appointed Cydni Raby as the operations director for the new location. An opening ceremony for the new office will be held at 8 a.m. Monday, Feb. 10. New Orleans airport prepares for record Super Bowl travel Celebrities rail against Trump's policies — but hesitate to say his name Reid's future plans for Chiefs in Super Bowl spotlight Armed teen arrested at Arkansas airport after allegedly demanding plane National PAL bringing 25 Baton Rouge students to Super Bowl events Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French Quarter designated as ‘enhanced security zone' for Super Bowl
A map shows the "enhanced security zone" Gov. Jeff Landry has authorized for the busiest portion of the French Quarter ahead of Super Bowl LIX. (GOHSEP map) Heightened security restrictions will be in effect for the busiest section of the French Quarter starting next Wednesday through at least the day after Super Bowl LIX is played, Gov. Jeff Landry announced Wednesday. The additional safety measures follow a Jan. 1 terrorist attack that killed 14 people and injured 57 others. They apply to the first seven blocks of Bourbon Street and the parallel streets one block on each side. All blocks between Royal and Dauphine streets will become an 'enhanced security zone,' where certain items will be prohibited and personal accessories could be searched or seized. Ice chests and backpack coolers will not be allowed inside the zone. People are also discouraged from bringing standard backpacks, large purses, suitcases, fanny packs, large shopping bags and camera bags into the area. Any bags larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches – roughly the size of a clutch purse – will be subject to search, Landry said. Anyone who refuses a police search will be denied entry to the security zone. Police also have the authority to search bags within the area, and they will remove anyone who doesn't comply. 'We want cooperation with the public and balancing freedoms to enjoy the Quarter, with the need for these heightened security measures based upon the threat level that we saw on January 1,' the governor said during a news conference at the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Ice chests have been singled out for exclusion after Shamsud-Din Jabbar placed homemade explosive devices in two coolers and left them at separate locations in the midst of Bourbon Street revelers in the early hours of New Year's Day. The FBI said a third bomb and a detonating device were found inside Jabbar's rented pickup that he drove down three crowded blocks of Bourbon before crashing into a mobile lift platform. Police killed Jabbar, a 42-year-old IT worker and U.S. Army veteran from Houston, in a shootout. He flew an Islamic State flag from the truck and had posted videos online ahead of the attack professing his extremist beliefs. Landry created the security zone and provided police with enhanced powers inside of it through an executive order. It renewed the state of emergency he declared Jan. 1 for New Orleans, and its language indicates it could potentially be extended into Carnival season. Read the governor's order below 'We are going to focus on the Super Bowl right now,' the governor said. 'We then will pivot once we get through the Super Bowl to Mardi Gras,' implying there will be heightened safety measures in place again for the French Quarter and potentially along parade routes. The governor's order does not apply to the Superdome, where the NFL and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are handling security precautions for the Super Bowl. Landry said state and city law enforcement officers will be working within their perimeters, however. 'As you move closer to the Superdome, the security restrictions are enhanced,' Landry said. Several streets in the vicinity of the stadium and Smoothie King Center are already closed to traffic. More will be blocked when pre-Super Bowl events take place at other downtown locations, including the Morial New Orleans Convention Center and the Saenger Theater. The NFL championship game takes place Sunday, Feb. 9. In addition to local, state and federal law enforcement, there will be 350 members of the Louisiana National Guard dispatched to New Orleans to assist with traffic control and security checkpoints, according to the governor. In addition to heightened security, the temporary homeless Landry established near the Gentilly neighborhood will be used through Mardi Gras, he said. There are currently 176 people staying at a contractor-staffed Port of New Orleans storage facility on France Road, the governor said. Landry clashed with some city officials when directed Louisiana State Police to remove unhoused people from encampments in close proximity to the Superdome. He used his emergency powers to award a contract to operate the temporary shelter, where he said residents are receiving services that 'are exponentially better than the ones they were receiving on the street.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Relief for small business owners affected by snowstorm
Lafayette, La (KLFY)– It's almost a week after the 2025 blizzard and Acadiana is recovering. With parish wide closures, among those affected are small businesses. In Downtown Lafayette, small businesses like Central Pizza & Bar were forced to be closed during last week's snowstorm. Because of that, some businesses were affected financially. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is assisting small businesses affected by the recent snowstorm. Offering small business disaster loans, business affected financially from being closed are encouraged to apply. Garrett Smith, the general manager at Central Pizza & Bar says the restaurant closed during the storm out of caution for employees as well as customers. 'Luckily we didn't have any kind of big structural damage, but, you know, we did have to close down for a good three days,' says Smith. Smith says being closed affected not only the business, but also employees who are paid hourly. He says if the restaurant is closed, they don't make money. As a way to help employees, Central Pizza opened on a day it is normally closed so employees can be compensated. 'We did take that into consideration, and we did open Sunday. We're normally closed on Sunday, but that was just at least an opportunity for our employees to at least recoup a little bit of hours.' Other areas in Acadiana experienced financial effects of the snowstorm. St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard sent a statement saying, 'Our local businesses are the backbone of our community, and we're here to help themrecover and thrive. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness(GOHSEP) Small Business Loan Program is a critical resource for businesses in St. LandryParish that was impacted by the recent snowstorm. This program offers financial relief to helpbusinesses rebuild, restock, and stabilize after facing unexpected challenges. We encourage alleligible business owners to take advantage of this opportunity so that we can continuestrengthening our local economy and ensuring the long-term success of our community.' Smith says being closed for a certain amount of that time during the week can be detrimental financially for a smaller business, especially a small business in downtown Lafayette. He says people should come out not just to Central Pizza, but to other downtown businesses because being closed for a few days affects businesses in a big way. 'It's such a thriving market here in downtown, and we just want to see that continue to boom.' More information on if your business qualifies for a small business loan can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
