Terrebonne Parish officials urge residents to use Friday wisely to prepare for storm impacts

HOUMA, LA. (WVUE) - A lot of decisions still need to be made in Terrebonne Parish when it comes to storm preparation. But officials and residents alike are getting a head start.

Parish officials plan to meet Friday morning to make decisions on potential evacuation plans, curfews, decisions on opening public shelters, and school plans for next week.

Sandbag locations will open Friday at 8 a.m. Click here for a list of locations.

Soon, boats from the Gulf will make their way inland for safe harbor.

“We had some fishing trips scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday but we canceled that just to get ready,” said Josh Ruskey. “It is a bummer.”

Ruskey was hoping to be on the water over the weekend, but now his plans have changed. He’s getting a head start by docking his boat out of harm’s way. A popular canal in Houma becomes popular during storm season for many fishermen, boaters, and shrimpers.

“We just come up here a couple days early before it got crowded and just hoping for the best from here,” he said.

Parish officials are preparing as well.

“We’re gonna try to get everything done tomorrow on Friday and hopefully we have everything completed before Saturday,” said Earl Eues, Director of the Terrebonne Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. “Then we’ll ride the storm out.”

He said they’re working to prepare the parish for the storm’s impact, and he’s hoping residents make a plan too.

“You know I hear a lot of people saying ‘It’s only a category two.’ There’s no such thing as ‘It’s just only.’ A category one storm can do sufficient damage,” said Eues. “We’re gonna have some power outages, 110 mph winds, so residents should tie down things in their yard and pick up things that they can pick up.”

The parish is expecting a storm surge in the low-lying areas of the Terrebonne Parish, with some flooding outside the levee system.

“If we do get a direct hit on a category two storm, we’re gonna have quite a bit of utility outages,” said Eues.

He said they’re working with utility companies to do the best they can to prepare before any major weather event. But he said residents across the parish should prepare now, like Josh Ruskey.

“We just prepare for the worst but hope for the best,” said Ruskey.

And not wait until the last minute.

IMPORTANT LINKS: Live updates from your Weather Authority Team + Sandbags available ahead of tropical weather

Visit the Fox 8 Weather Authority Hurricane Center to track the storm in real-time with VIPIR radar or download the Fox 8 Weather app on your mobile devices.

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