Lafayette Parish added to governor's declaration of emergency after May storms
BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) -- Gov. Jeff Landry has added Lafayette Parish to his declaration of emergency issued in the wake of the tornadoes and severe storms that hit Acadiana last month.
Landry signed an amended emergency declaration last week that adds Lafayette Parish to the regions affected by severe thunderstorms in mid-May. Other parishes named in the declaration were East Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, St. James, St. Martin and West Baton Rouge.
The governor's declaration allows local governments in affected parishes to be reimbursed by the state for storm-related costs. The addition allows Lafayette Parish to be reimbursed by the state for 75% of storm-related expenses and for LCG to distribute money to other entities in the parish.
In the amended portion of the declaration, Landry said "the NWS has also confirmed 78 mph straight-line winds in the parish of Lafayette on May 16, 2024 causing 49% power outages in the parish, and significant damage and debris in the parish."
In St. Martin Parish, "the NWS has also confirmed that a tornado struck the parish of St, Martin on May 13-14, 2024, causing damage to at least nine homes, 19 mobile homes, four businesses and one public building, injuring 9 people and causing one fatality. It is estimated that there is 150,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris in the Henderson Area, which does not include other areas requiring debris removal," according to the declaration.
Read the entire declaration below:
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