Louisiana
Louisiana readies for arctic blast with crop and road safety efforts
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – An arctic blast is expected early next week. Now, preparations are underway to protect plants and ensure roads stay open.
At Harris Strawberry Farm in Pontchatoula, sheets flap in the wind as workers make sure the 12 acres of crop are protected.
Rachel Harris said harvest has been slow.
“It takes a couple of days to prepare for a freeze like this,” Harris said. “It’s very, very hard on Louisiana farmers.”
Harris is concerned the freezing weather will burn the blooms. Her team is also battling the wind to cover the strawberries.
“You combat that and you pray,” Harris said. “You pray to God that the plants make it, that the blooms, the strawberries make it. It’s a lot. It’s a lot of work.”
After extreme heat this summer and now extreme cold, gardeners are also worried about how stress will impact plants.
“It could stunt growth. It could cause some malnutrition,” said Wayne Soniat with The Plant Gallery. “In order to keep them healthy and promote more growth health, you definitely want to protect your plants going into the winter.”
Soniat says bed sheets can also be used to cover plants, but he recommends removing all coverings when the sun comes up.
“Let them breathe and get that air circulation,” Soniat said.
It’s best to water plants before freezing temperatures; moist soil stays warmer than dry soil. The threshold before plants are damaged or killed by a freeze depends on the type of plant.
In Bridge City, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is stocked with the material and tools to keep roads open during a freeze.
“We have to respond to the needs of the motoring public and ensure that conditions are safe,” said Scott Boyle, District Engineer Administrator for LA DOTD District 02.
Sand and more than 250,000 pounds of salt are available for the New Orleans region. Boyle said his team is modifying equipment to treat roads.
“These are very similar to a spreader you might use on your lawn where it disperses a material,” Boyle said. “We use dump trucks, very big agricultural spreaders.”
Before temps reach freezing, brine, a highly concentrated mixture of salt and water will be applied to roads.
“If we wait until the ice is on the roads, it is much more challenging to address and mitigate,” Boyle said.
DOTD will begin mixing brine on Sunday. Once the mixture is created, the solution is good for roughly four to five months.
Boyle said, “We keep it in a safe storage location and if it’s determined to not be needed or utilized, we dispose of it properly with consultation with the city or the parish.”
DOTD will continue watching the forecast and will have employees checking bridges and overpasses.
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Louisiana ranks among the top 10 most affordable states to retire, according to a new study from Retirement Living, a national journal of retirement research.
Researchers analyzed each state’s housing costs, living expenses and tax friendliness to compile the ranking. Louisiana, they say, is the eighth most affordable state for retirees.
In Louisiana, the median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $932, the median home sale price is $255,000, monthly grocery spend per capita is $272, the average price per gallon of regular gas is $4, the average Medicare Advantage monthly premium is $13.35 and the average effective property tax rate is 0.55%.
West Virginia is the most affordable state to retire, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Louisiana, Indiana and Kansas. Researchers describe the South as “the sweet spot for an affordable retirement.”
The most expensive state to retire, meanwhile, is California, followed by Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Utah, New York and Minnesota.
Read Retirement Living’s full report here.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – With hurricane season approaching, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is bringing the community together to prepare before a storm forms.
“We can’t stop disasters from happening. We can’t stop hurricanes from happening. But what we can do is equip our communities with the resources that they need to prepare for these storms ahead of time,” said Jayda Morris, CPRA outreach manager.
The agency hosted an event featuring interactive storm simulations and a full model of the Mississippi River.
“If you do it now, like on a sunny day like today, you’re ready to go for the rest of the season,” Jay Grymes said.
El Niño may reduce storms, but Louisiana still at risk
State Climatologist Jay Grymes said an El Niño pattern may reduce the number of storms in the Atlantic but warned against a false sense of security.
“In those 25 years, Louisiana, some part of the state has been impacted by 29 storms. That’s one a year, regardless of El Niño. So that should tell you something,” Grymes said.
He said the bigger concern is storms that can form in the Gulf with little warning.
“If we’re going to get a storm, it very possibly could be one that bubbles up in the Gulf and doesn’t give us five or seven days to track it coming our way. It gives us 40 hours to get ready for a landfall. So it’s imperative that you go ahead and do it now,” Grymes said.
Preparation goes beyond stocking water
Preparing now includes walking through yards, checking trees, and knowing whether everyone in the family can survive two weeks without power.
PhD students with the LSU College of the Coast and Environment gave the community a virtual reality experience that puts users inside a storm.
“If they wear the goggles or play with the Apple Vision Pro, they can understand how high will the flood be, and they can know how dangerous is the hurricane scenario,” said Yixuan Wang.
The VR simulation uses real historical data to show users what compound flooding looks like in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The goal is to make the science real for people who can’t picture what a flood map means.
“It’s just to let you understand the environment. We will add the audios, the different sound of the wind and the storm. And you can see how tense of the rainfall around you,” Wang said.
Organizers said the event is about making sure that when a storm threatens the area, families already know their plan.
Information from the event is available on CPRA’s website. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana homeowners can get financial help to upgrade their roofs and ensure they can better stand up to strong storms.
According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, registration for next Louisiana Fortify Homes Program lottery opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 1. The registration period will stay open through 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
Under the latest round of the program, 3,000 grants of up to $10,000 will go out. After applying, homeowners will get placed into a lottery and will be randomly selected.
There are many specific benefits of having a roof upgraded through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program. Officials said the roofs have stronger shingles that can protect against hail up to two inches wide, sealed roof decks to help prevent water damage, and stronger edges to keep wind from getting underneath.
Homeowners with a fortified roof can also get a certificate to receive a discount on insurance premiums.
“At the end of the day, this program is about more than just roofs,” said Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. “It is about protecting families, it is about strengthening communities, and it is about putting Louisiana in a stronger position—both physically and economically—to face the challenges ahead.”
Only people living in Ascension Parish, Livingston Parish, Assumption Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Acadia Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish, Iberia Parish, Jefferson Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lafourche Parish, Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Vermilion Parish are eligible to apply for the latest round of the program.
People living in a newly built home, mobile home, or condominium are not qualified.
For a detailed list of eligibility requirements, click here.
If a person registered for the program previously, he or she must do so again. The person will also need to provide the following information:
- A homestead exemption on the primary residence.
- A policy of insurance that provides wind coverage for the primary residence.
- A flood insurance policy on the primary residence if it is in a special flood hazard area.
For more information about applying, click here.
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