By ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / June 30, 1999

LAPLACE – St. John the Baptist Parish Councilman Dale Wolfe said theparish better get prepared for emergencies.

Wolfe’s statement came at Monday’s Parish Council meeting after the area was deluged with rain over the weekend.

“I am very upset with what happened,” said Wolfe. “I had people calling meup asking for sandbags, but I was told by the parish that there were no sandbags. I was told that sandbags were only given out in an emergency.”Wolfe than asked Parish President Arnold Labat what was considered an emergency.

Labat said there is no sand for bagging because there is no place to store it to keep it dry. Also, he said, there is no work force to bag the sand.Wolfe said he was also alarmed that the Persimmon Street pumping station did not work the entire time it was raining.

“I went out there three times last weekend, and not once was it working,” he said.

Public Works Director Greg Bush promised to see what could be done about the pumping station. Later in the meeting, Parish Engineering ConsultantMitch Lebas reported that renovation work on the Persimmon Street pumping station is almost finished, and that the pumps should be working soon.

Wolfe introduced a resolution to look into the cost of starting a sandbag program in which sand could be stored in a warehouse and a work force could be organized to fill sandbags. Wolfe suggested the parish useinmates to do the work of bagging the sand.

The resolution passed unanimously.

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