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Sunday in Morgan City: Giving food, giving thanks

Mon, 09/16/2024 - 7:18am

BILL DECKER

Sunday was a day of giving for many in Morgan City -- giving food and giving thanks.

At Holy Cross Catholic Church, Catholic Charities of the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese set up again at 3 p.m. to offer plate meals, cleaning supplies, baby items and more. Local volunteers joined the effort.

"I came out to help people in need, and give back to my community," said Central Catholic student Bree Mitchell. "Me and my friends came out to support the community and my school."

Catholic Charities had been in Morgan City since Friday.

Organizers said the plan to distribute food in Morgan City started at Our Lady of Prompt Succor in Chackbay, organizers said. The idea came about at 1p.m. Thursday, and by noon Friday, volunteers were handing out jambalaya to a long line of vehicles at Holy Cross.

Pulled pork was on the menu Sunday.

Among the adult volunteers, Rochelle Bergeron was handing out cleaning supplies.

Her Seventh Street home mostly escaped damage when Hurricane Francine hit Wednesday.

"We just had a couple of trees," Bergeron said. "The water got high but it didn't get in our house. So we're grateful."

Gratitude was in evidence Sunday in the Brashear Avenue median.

At the statue of Our Lady , Star of the Sea, more than 40 people gathered to recite a rosary of Thanksgiving.

Members of the Confraternity of Our Lady, Star of the Sea meet at the beginning of each hurricane season to pray for protection from storms.

And there's no denying that Morgan City has fared pretty well in the three decades since Hurricane Andrew.

"We're very, very thankful for her protection," Diane Loupe Irwin said before the rosary Sunday.

Also Sunday, the Morgan City and Patterson governments distributed tarps made available by the state government to homeowners with damaged roofs.

Patterson Outreach also distributed jambalaya lunches Sunday.

UPDATE ON MARCEAUX, GLYNN OBITUARIES

Sat, 09/14/2024 - 12:24pm

--After Hurricane Francine, visitation for Rodney Leo Marceaux Sr. has been rescheduled for 5-8 p.m. Monday at Hargrave Funeral Home. Visitation will resume on Tuesday from 8 a.m. until time of funeral services at 10 a.m. at Hargrave Funeral Home. Following services, he will be laid to rest at Morgan City Cemetery.

--Public services for Dorothy Pellessier Glynn of Morgan City have been canceled because of the recent storm.

Private, public agencies keeping Morgan City fed

Fri, 09/13/2024 - 4:00pm

BILL DECKER

bdecker@daily-review.com

Like thousands of east St. Mary residents, Leo White had a rough Wednesday night.
Sitting in his car Friday at the head of a line at Holy Cross Catholic Church, White pointed halfway up his shin to show how high Hurricane Francine pushed water into his home in the 1000 block of Morgan City's Marshall Street.

The storm ruined furniture, badly damaged one vehicle and pushed water into two others. In the back seat was neighbor James Breaux, who said the roof of the bathroom at his Marshall Street home was caved in.

But for all the recovery work ahead, they had something to look forward to Friday: a hot meal, and maybe some cleaning supplies.

Catholic Charities of the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese, with help from Holy Cross and Sacred Heart volunteers, was offering drive-up gifts of food and cleaning supplies. Meanwhile, across town, Louisiana National Guard troops and more volunteers distributed food, ice and water from the state government at Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.

At the auditorium, the National Guard troops were set for drive-through distribution noon-6 p.m. Friday with plans to return 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Sunday plans are uncertain, said 1st Lt. Payton Pilgrim of the Guard's 199th Brigade Support Battalion, 256th Brigade Combat Team.

The Guard came prepared to distribute 10,000 MREs, the nonperishable meal packets created to feed troops in the field. They're good for 15 years.

And the Guard may need them. By the time the point of distribution had been open an hour, cars were lined up in the right lane of westbound U.S. 90 for nearly a mile. In true military fashion, barricades and signs were set up to keep the line orderly, with help from from Morgan City police.

Forty-two Guard troops were on hand for the distribution along with local volunteers .

"This is what you sign up for," Pilgrim said. "You can help the community."

The Catholic Charities distribution at Holy Cross grew out of a desire to help by members of Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Chackbay less than 24 hours before Friday's noon distribution, said Catholic Charities board Chairman Travis Chiasson.

Bourgeois Meat Market in Thibodaux donated meat for the jambalaya meals, 500 of which were ready to be served Friday. Local merchants donated bottled water.

The Knights of Columbus joined the effort, and the cooking started at 6 a.m. Friday.

Cleaning supplies were also being distributed. The work at Holy Cross was handled by volunteers from Catholic Charities, Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Holy Cross and Sacred Heart.

"A lot of people who came out to help feel grateful they're in a good place after the storm," said the Rev. Patrick Riviere of Holy Cross.

"God brought it together," Chiasson said.

Elsewhere, the Mercy Chefs were ready to hand out hot meals at 5 p.m. at the main fire station at Fourth and Canton in Berwick.

The American Red Cross will serve hot meals 5-7 p.m. Friday at Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.

More damage in Bayou Vista

Fri, 09/13/2024 - 9:07am

These photos show damage to homes on Saturn, top photo, and Polaris Road.

Diane Miller Fears photos

As Francine rages, local heroes stand up

Thu, 09/12/2024 - 2:10pm

When Hurricane Francine moved in, some local heroes stood up.

That's aside from the police officers, firefighters, public works crews and paramedics who stay on duty during tropical weather.

In a Facebook post, Morgan City Mayor Lee Dragna said his son challenged him to do something about flooding in Lakeside Subdivision even as the Dragna home was sustaining damage.

So, Dragna said, they loaded two portable pumps on a trailer and drove to a set-up point.

Along the way, Dragna said, neighborhood residents joined them.. And when they arrived, Police Chief Chad M. Adams sent more help.

During the height of the storm, sometimes with two people holding a third in place against the wind, the pumps began lowering the water level almost immediately, the mayor said.

"The people came together to save houses -- guaranteed they saved most of the homes in Lakeside," Dragna said.

Officials often warn that emergency responders won't be able to answer calls when storm conditions are at their worst. But The Weather Channel, in town to cover the hurricane, praised the Morgan City Fire Department for doing just that.

With Francine near its peak, firefighters answered a call to a Morgan City home that had been knocked off its foundation by a fallen tree, damaging a natural gas line in the process.

Later, the department sent firefighters to another home, and video showed them wading through standing water to carry hoses to the fire.

20 inches of rain? East St. Mary digs out; power outage across region

Thu, 09/12/2024 - 10:59am

East St. Mary awoke Thursday morning to downed branches, downed trees, downed power lines and no electricity.

Hurricane Francine came ashore about 5 p.m. Wednesday with Category 2 force winds of 100 mph about 30 miles from Morgan City in Terrebonne Parish. the National Hurricane Center said.

Some local officials expressed doubt about the landfall site announced by the National center, insisting it was closer to Morgan City.

"We took a direct hit," Morgan City Mayor Lee Dragna said in a Facebook video Thursday.

A city rain gauge with a 20-inch capacity overflowed, Dragna said. Berwick Mayor Duval Arthur said a 10-inch gauge overflowed there.

Trees were downed, sometimes on top of houses, from Patterson east to Morgan City.

In his Facebook post, Dragna said two portable pumps put into action near Lakeside Subdivision helped bring down water levels that threatened to flood homes there.

St. Mary Levee District Tim Matte recalled the water level on the Walnut Street canal.

:"It was the highest level I've ever seen on the canal," Matte said.

In Berwick, Arthur reported that 10 streets there were blocked by downed trees, although those streets had been cleared by mid-morning. Some partical blockages remained.

And "we had tremendous flooding in the streets," Arthur said.

The problems were especially acute in the Country Club Estates area and near Sixth Street.

"It was the worst Category 1 or 2 storm I've ever seen," said Arthur, a former parish homeland security director. "Andrew wasn't as bad."

Andrew came ashore in 1992 packing 110 mph wind and caused widespread damage in St. Mary and Iberia.

Both Dragna and Arthur said their homes sustained storm damage from Francine.

In Patterson, Police Chief Garrett Grogan said street flooding had receded by Thursday morning.

Fallen trees damaged homes on Live Oak and Clement streets.

"Right now, they're trying to get the electricity back."

Full power restoration could take days.

At 1 p.m., the poweroutage.us website reported that 13,420 of 19,001 electric customers in St. Mary were without power.

In Assumption, 8,621 of 10,440 customers were blacked out.

One main feed from Cleco provides electrical power to Morgan City.

Dragna said in his Facebook post that Cleco is assessing the damage

"Once we get fed electricity from Cleco ... we'll be able to assess," Dragma said.

For now, the task is to restore power to sewage substations and the water system to maintain those services, Dragna said.

For all its damage, Francine had one virtue: It was fast.

The National Weather Service reported that the hurricane moved through coastal Louisiana at 17 mph and didn't linger to dump even more rain. it weakened rapidly after making landfall.

The predicted storm surge of 5-10 feet didn't materialize. The Atchafalaya River stage at Morgan City rose less than a foot overnight and remained below 4 feet, well below the flood stage.

The Franklin Canal gate, closed as the storm approached, had been reopened by late morning Thursday. Matte said the Levee District was waiting for water to recede to safe levels before reopening the Bayou Chene Flood Control structure, designed to prevent back-flooding from the Atchafalaya, and the Bayou Teche Flood Control Structure, which was built to protect western and central St. Mary from storm surge flooding by way of the Charenton Canal.

DOROTHY PELLEGRIN KELLY

Wed, 09/11/2024 - 2:45pm

Dorothy Pellegrin Kelly, a native of Plaquemine and Bayou Sorrel and a longtime resident of Bayou L'Ourse, died Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, at the age of 79.

She is survived by her her husband, Herbert Joseph Kelly; her children, Steven Kelly and his wife, Melody, of Bayou L'Ourse, Kevin Kelly of Bayou L'Ourse, Dwayne Kelly and his wife, Denise, of Florida, Leasha Walters and her husband, Roger, of Bayou L'Ourse, Johnnie Troulliet and her husband, Anthony, of Morgan City and Matthew Kelly of Ricohoc; 17 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Irma Bethel, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her daughter, and two brothers.

The family requests that a time of visitation and remembrance be observed on Sunday, Sept. 15, from 2. p.m. until time of services on Monday, Sept. 16, at Bayou L'Ourse Baptist Church. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Bayou L'Ourse Baptist Church in Bayou L'Ourse. Following the services, she will be laid to rest in the Morgan City Cemetery.

Morgan City police report alcohol-related arrests

Wed, 09/11/2024 - 1:00pm

Staff Report

(Editor’s note: The charges listed here and the narratives that go with them are provided by the police agencies that made the arrests. Guilt or innocence has not been determined in court.)

Morgan City police reported four arrests in the two days before Hurricane Francine, including two on alcohol-related charges.

Morgan City

Chief Chad M. Adams reported that the Morgan City Police Department responded to 93 calls for service over the last 48-hour reporting period and made these arrests:

--Aldwin Renee Cox, 58, Union Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 10:23 a.m. Monday on a charge of alcohol consumption in public.

--Frank Johnson Jr., 58, Maine Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 2:20 p.m. Monday on a charge of alcohol consumption in public.

--Rickey James Foret Jr., 45, Stacey Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 3:04 p.m. Tuesday on three counts of failure to appear for trial (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

--Timothy Gary Paul Francis, 37, Idaho Street, Morgan City, was arrested at 1:14 p.m. Monday on two counts of failure to appear to pay fine (6th Ward Morgan City Court).

Franklin

Chief Cedric Handy reported that the Franklin Police Department responded to 17 complaints over the past weekend and made these arrests:

--Christopher Verrett, 42, Barrow Street, Franklin, while incarcerated at the Franklin Police Department, was arrested at 8:03 a.m. Sept. 6 on a charge of simple criminal damage to property. Verrett was booked, processed and held on a $1,000 bond.

--Jada Druilhet, 23, Myra Street, Franklin, was arrested at 3:32 p.m. Sept. 6 on charges of second-degree battery and cruelty to juveniles. Druilhet was booked, processed and transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.

--Sybil Leboeuf, 68, Canal Drive, Franklin, was arrested at 7:06 p.m. Sept. 6 on a charge of violation of protective order. Leboeuf was booked, processed and released on a $5,000 bond.

---Dejhon Parker, 27, Gumpoint Lane,, Franklin, was arrested at 1:29 a.m. Saturday on three counts of stop sign violation, aggravated obstruction of a highway of commerce, flight from an officer, two counts of resisting an officer with force or violence, four counts of turn signal, aggravated criminal damage to property, reckless operation of a vehicle, 10 counts of possession of Schedule I drugs, possession of alcoholic beverages in motor vehicles, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, maximum speed limit and first-degree negligent injuring. Parker was booked, processed and released on a $75,000 bond.

--Juvenile was arrested at 1:52 p.m. Saturday on a charge of theft.

--Breyonna Verret, 23, Anderson Street, Franklin, was arrested at 1:52 p.m. on a charge of theft. Verret was additionally arrested on warrants for 3rd Ward City Court alleging failure to appear on a charge theft. Verret was booked, processed and held on a $2,236 bond.

--Kyle Darden, 27, Flattown Road, Jeanerette, was arrested at 1:08 a.m. Sunday on charges of driving under the influence (third offense) with child endangerment and careless operation. Darden was booked, processed and held on a $30,000 bond.

--Caleb Darden, 26, Eighth Avenue, Greeley, Colorado, was arrested at 9:36 a.m. Monday on a warrant dated July 29, 2021, alleging aggravated assault with a firearm. Darden was booked, processed and held with no bond set at the time of press release.

Waiting for the storm

Wed, 09/11/2024 - 9:34am

Morgan City residents settled in Wednesday morning to await Hurricane Francine, due to make landfall near the city early Wednesday evening.

The Review/Bill Decker

Cleco says it's ready, offers tips on generator safety

Wed, 09/11/2024 - 8:38am

“Cleco is prepared to safely and efficiently respond to power outages due to Hurricane Francine,” said Clint Robichaux, director of distribution operations and reliability. “As soon as conditions are safe, the company’s focus will be on responding to unsafe electrical situations and restoring power to critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and water systems, and then restoring power to the greatest number of customers until power is restored to all.”

How Cleco Restores Power During a Storm

Once conditions are safe, workers begin to assess damage by land and air.
Next, transmission and distribution lines are inspected and repaired. Transmission lines are critical to power restoration because they carry electricity from power plants to substations that deliver electricity to distribution lines which deliver electricity to homes and businesses.
Power is restored to critical community services first, such as hospitals, nursing homes, water systems, fire and police departments.
Power is then restored to the greatest number of customers in the shortest amount of time until power is restored to all customers who can receive power.

Safety Tips
Generator Safety

Generators should be operated outdoors only and in well-ventilated areas.
Plug appliances directly into portable generators with grounded extension cords that can handle the load.
Never plug a generator into a wall outlet. It could back feed electricity through your home's wiring to the entire Cleco circuit and cause injury or death to a worker attempting to repair that circuit.
Don't exceed the rated capacity of the generator and only refuel when the engine is off and cool.
Powerline Safety
Assume all downed power lines are live and stay away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 1-800-622-6537 and 911.
Don't step in nearby puddles or attempt to move any object that comes in contact with a downed power line.

For more before, during and after the storm safety tips, visit www.cleco.com/StormSafety.

Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC is a regional energy holding company that conducts its business operations through Cleco Power LLC, a regulated electric utility company that owns eight generating units with a rated capacity of 2,676 MWs and serves approximately 295,000 customers in Louisiana through its retail business and supplies wholesale power in Louisiana. For more information about Cleco, visit www.cleco.com.