St. Tammany Parish Officials provided an update on water levels in the Pearl River. The following is a press release sent from the St. Tammany Parish Emergency Operations Center:
Special Notice
Sunday, September 2, 2012
8:00am
PEARL RIVER WATCH
Parish President Pat Brister is meeting with a team of hydrologists from the National Weather Service and the St. Tammany Parish Engineers at 8:30am to review what happened on the river during the early morning hours. We will update you as soon as possible with the latest information.
The National Weather Service is projecting the Pearl River, at the Town of Pearl River, to crest early Monday morning at 19.5 feet. We are asking residents East of and along Military Rd. and Highway 433 extending to Lake Pontchartrain be vigilant.
Please watch for advisories from the St. Tammany Parish EOC and the National Weather Service concerning the progression of rising waters in the river as it makes its way thought the parish. The Sheriff's office will establish a command center if deemed necessary. We have a plan in place and will provide you with any and all information as this situation progresses. We will communicate via reverse 911 calls, STPGOV.ORG, Facebook and Twitter; as well as through local media outlets. Please be advised that a reverse 911 call may show on your phone as an unknown caller. Please do not ignore these calls if you reside in the potentially affected areas.
St. Tammany Parish will be opening one sandbag location Sunday, Sept. 2.
Fritchie Barn
63119 Hwy 1090, Pearl River
Hours: 10am – 7pm
UPDATE ON PEARL RIVER NAVIGATIONAL CANAL: The Army Corps of Engineers is at the site on Lock 2. They were able to relieve the pressure by lowering the level of the water upstream to the to the lowest level possible. They are conducting tests to determine the structural integrity now. The mandatory evacuation remains in place until the Army Corps of Engineers tells us that it is safe.
