From the Bossier Parish Police Jury:
Tropical Storm Cristobal is expected to make landfall late Sunday night along the Louisiana coast, according to information from the National Weather Service during a Thursday briefing.
Forecasters say Cristobal should weaken to a tropical depression as it moves farther inland into north Louisiana on Monday. Rainfall from two to two and one-half inches is expected Sunday through Wednesday, with isolated higher amounts likely.
Heaviest rainfall in the Bossier Parish area should occur Monday, with two inches predicted. Flash flooding is likely to occur in low-lying roads, land and ditches, forecasters predicted.
Bossier Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (BOHSEP) director Ian Snellgrove said local waterways have been receding and should be able to handle expected rainfall.
At the Bossier Parish Police Jury Highway Department, workers have already begun checking storage sites throughout the parish to make sure an ample sandbag supply is available. Additional bags will be filled as needed.
Residents who want sandbags can go to any of five locations including:
Parish Highway Department, 410 Mayfield, Benton, Phone 965-3752 (open 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.); South Bossier Fire District #2, 1325 Robinson Rd., Elm Grove, Phone 987-2555; Haughton Fire District #1, 4494 Hwy 80, Haughton, 949-9440; Town of Plain Dealing, 205 W. Palmetto, Plain Dealing; and Town of Haughton, 120 W. McKinley Ave., Haughton, 949-9401.
Update:
Parish wide mobile drive-through testing for COVID 19 has been rescheduled due to a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico that could affect south Louisiana.
Testing will be available in Bossier Parish at designated locations beginning June 15 and continuing through June 29, according to Ian Snellgrove, director of the Bossier Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (BOHSEP).
BOHSEP has coordinated with the state Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Louisiana National Guard and the Louisiana Department of Health to establish locations and dates for the tests. Schools, mayors’ offices and local law enforcement are also lending assistance.
Officials said there would be no charge for the tests.
Dates and sites for the tests, which will be conducted from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. each day, include:
- June 15 and 17: Haughton at the Haughton Middle School, 250 champion Shores Haughton.
- June 19 and 23: Plain Dealing at the Plain Dealing High School, 300 Vance Rd Plain Dealing.
- June 25 and 29: Bossier Century Link Center, 2000 Century Link Drive, Bossier City.
An RV will be set up by the National Guard in the parking lots on the specified mornings. This will be a drive through COVID testing site only. No one will be exiting vehicles.
Persons tested must be at least 18 years old and must provide a valid driver’s license. Provisions have been made for 50 tests each day.
Feature Photo Courtesy of: The Bossier Parish Police Jury
