With the winter storm hitting the state, Triple-A shares some tips to get your vehicle ready for the freezing weather. Sean Richardson has more.
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If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to protect your home from this arctic blast. Colleen Crain reports.
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It’s a snowstorm that South Louisiana hasn’t seen in six decades – and it’s coming today. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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Triple-A is advising drivers in South Louisiana to prepare their vehicles, plan their trips, and exercise caution when driving in winter weather. Don Redman of Triple-A says unless it’s an emergency, stay off the road.
Redman says to prepare your vehicle there are a few suggestions. First, check the battery.
Redman says Triple-A also offers 24/7 roadside assistance and towing services to help drivers facing winter emergencies but suggests drivers keep a few items in their car.
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If you haven’t already done so, protect the pipes in and around your house to avoid damage during this arctic blast. Dennis Rodriguez with Paradigm Plumbing in Baton Rouge says you’ll want to drip all your faucets inside your home – both hot and cold faucets.
Rodriguez says you also need to cover your hose bibs on the outside of your house. A styrofoam box-shaped cover sold in home improvement stores should do the trick. If you don’t, those water lines could burst when the weather warms back up.
Rodriguez says you’ll also want to disconnect any hoses on the outside of the house.
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As Louisiana faces potentially historic winter weather, Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans prioritize customer safety and efficient power restoration. VP of Reliability Jason Willis says both companies have conducted extensive system patrols and implemented measures to prepare for severe conditions.
Willis encourages customers to prepare by creating emergency plans, winterizing homes, and staying informed through Entergy’s app and safety resources.
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Willis says 16-hundred workers are on standby, but restoration may be delayed by icy roads and cold-load pickup challenges.
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Cleco has also secured 500 line mechanics and vegetation management contractors in preparation for possible outages.
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Soon, Central and South Louisiana will be gripped with crippling conditions. The entire Gulf Coast Region, which normally does not get severe winter storms, is expected to get several inches of snow today. During a news conference at GOHSEP headquarters, Governor Landry said with Louisiana not having any snowplows, help is on the way from Arkansas.
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As you probably know by now, bridges freeze much more quickly than surface roadways. As such, several long stretches of major roadways will be impassable.
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Joe Donahue with DOTD says despite crews’ best efforts, they will likely have no other choice than to shut down sections of I-10.
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State Climatologist Jay Grymes says the Gulf Coast has certainly seen snow before; but all those previous times, the snow has been localized.
And Grymes says that snowfall will impact all of South Louisiana up to a portion of Central Louisiana.
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Grymes says people in Central and South Louisiana should be prepared to be housebound for at least the next two days.