The past few weeks have brought saturating rains to our area. As a result, on Tuesday, August 23 Iberia Parish Government announced sand and sandbag location availability due to the potential for ongoing rainfall events in the upcoming weather forecast.

Those locations are as follows:

B.O.M Fire Station – 3017 Old Jeanerette Road, New Iberia, LA 70563

Grand Marais Fire Station – 2309 Avery Island Road, New Iberia, LA 70560

Coteau Fire Station – 4715 Coteau Road, New Iberia, LA 70560

Delcambre Water Tower – 107 N. Railroad Street, Delcambre, LA 70528

Loreauville City Park – 601 Ed Broussard Road, Loreauville, LA 70552

Lydia Fire Station – 7209 Weeks Island Rd, New Iberia, LA 70560

Jeanerette at Fire Department – 1436 Church St., Jeanerette, LA 70544

Rynella Fire Department – 5105 Avery Island Road, New Iberia, LA 70560

Shovels will not be provided, and residents should be prepared to fill their own sandbags.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Iberia Parish Public Works Department at (337) 364-8474.

We have been fortunate to experience little to no activity during the first two months of this year’s hurricane season.

But we are all too aware of how quickly this can change. So please, resist the urge to let your guard down. It is important to stay prepared during the entire season should we find ourselves in the target cone of a storm.

Preparation is key to your and your family’s health and well-being during and after a storm. Have a plan, know where you would go in the event of a mandatory or voluntary evacuation, stock up on supplies and personal necessities, and refill medications.

These important actions will save you time and prevent unnecessary stress during and following an emergency. I encourage you to visit The State of Louisiana’s website, getagameplan.org, for a more extensive list of best practices for advanced preparation and visit our website, iberiaparishgovernment.com, to sign up for our IBERIA PINS (Iberia Parish Informational Notification System.)

This system lets us quickly provide accurate information in various situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons, evacuations, and current events around the Parish. In addition, you can customize how you receive messages, such as your home, mobile or business phones, email addresses, or text messages.

PINS is an excellent tool for staying informed during a multitude of situations. And as always, you can monitor the Iberia Parish Facebook page and Iberia Parish Government website for updates.

Iberia Parish Government is committed to the safety and well-being of our residents. We have implemented many improvements to our Emergency Preparedness Plan based on the lessons learned from the experiences of our neighbors in 2020 and 2021 with Hurricanes Delta and Ida.

While we will do everything in our power to protect Iberia Parish citizens and property in a hurricane, the most effective protection will always come from prepared citizens, families, and businesses. Thank you in advance for doing your part to keep Iberia Parish safe.

LARRY RICHARD serves as Iberia Parish President.