Severe weather is expected to move into Louisiana tomorrow and that means Mardi Gras celebrations will be cut short. In New Orleans Marching krewes and truck parades will not parade but Zulu will roll at 7 a.m. and Rex at 9 a.m. but and all parades must wrap up by noon. Collin Arnold, New Orleans’ director of homeland security and emergency preparedness, says while Mayor LaToya Cantrell has input and influence, she wasn’t the decision-maker in this instance.
Cut 13 (04) “…of that decision.”
Arnold says not all floats are able to withstand high winds.
Jefferson Parish has cancelled both of their parades. Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng says if those wind speeds are high enough to keep buses and Entergy crews off the roads, they’re certainly high enough to make conditions for a parade unsafe.
Cut 4 (14) “…tents, chairs, tarps.”
Parade times in New Roads, Kaplan, and Franklin have been moved up and Mardi Gras Festival in Cajun Field in Lafayette has been cancelled.
Authorities have made at least one arrest in a shooting that wounded five people after Mardi Gras parade in Franklinton last night. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 2 (24) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”
Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain met with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollands on how to deal with the effects of bird flu and how to get egg prices under control.