Weeks after the winter storm that brought Madison Parish to a halt for several days, many in Tallulah and the surrounding areas are still dealing with the aftermath of the ice and snow.
Madison Parish E-911 Director Cynthia Machen said, while the worst of the damage has been dealt with, residents should be patient as cleanup crews continue efforts to repair damage and remove debris.
“Storm cleanup is still ongoing with debris - trees, limbs, etc. - being hauled off by parish and city road crews,” Machen said, adding one of the biggest remaining issues for cleanup crews of all kinds relates to water and burst pipes.
“Most busted pipes at city residences have been repaired at this time,” she said. “Broken pipes at residences was one of the main reasons for the tanks being drained [or] low water pressure. Most [people] did not realize pipes were burst until days after the ice storm when things started thawing out. The tanks have maintained a good level this past week, since most residential repairs were made all over the city (over 100 breaks were reported at residences).”
Despite the progress, Machen said water and power companies are still asking for residents’ cooperation as they attempt to finish repairs and restore normal services.
“The water company still asks the public to report any major leaks that you see if you feel they have not been reported yet. The boil [water] advisory was lifted last week after results were -returned acceptable. Walnut Bayou Water had to make several repairs to burst pipes on their system, as well. They are up and running normally at this time. Entergy workers worked day-and-night to restore power to over 2,000 residences in Madison Parish. Most outages were caused by broken lines due to ice build-up and downed trees, and some were caused by blown transformers.”
In the weeks following the storm, Machen said more than 5,500 cases of water have been delivered to homes in Madison Parish by Madison Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies, Tallulah Police Department officers and other volunteers. Additionally, she said two water tankers requested by the Madison Parish Office of Homeland Security, which Machen also directs, were delivered by the National Guard to the Tallulah-Madison Community Center and Legacy Nursing Home for use in flushing toilets while the city was without water.
The MP Office of Homeland Security in the days following the storm has also delivered more than 500 ready-to-eat meals to homes with elderly or handicapped individuals who were without power and/or water.
Machen said the Emergency Declaration for Madison Parish, originally filed February 2, is still in effect, but is set to expire next week since most emergency measures have ended.
