Uptown Messenger (https://uptownmessenger.com/category/public-safety/page/22/)
The NOPD’s Traffic Division will conduct a sobriety checkpoint this weekend at a location within Orleans Parish. The checkpoint will be in effect beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday, June 21, and concluding at 5 a.m. on Saturday, June 22. Motorists who encounter this checkpoint will experience minimal delays and should have the proper documentation available if requested – this includes proof of insurance, driver’s license and vehicle registration.
The New Orleans Police Department held a final salute for retired Commander Doug Eckert on Friday in front of the Second District station. Eckert passed away June 10. Eckert ended his 22-year career with the NOPD at 56 on June 9 as commander of the Second District. He had worked his way up through the ranks since joining the department in 1997. He became a sergeant in 2002, a lieutenant in 2012 and commander in 2014.
from the City of New Orleans
Today (June 12), the City of New Orleans announced the award of $12.5 Million in grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program. Those dollars will fund the elevation of more than 50 pre-identified homes in New Orleans that have experienced repeated and severe flooding. Twenty-two of those homes are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “Flood mitigation has to remain a constant priority for me and our residents as we learn better how to live with water,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “This is a huge win for the City of New Orleans.
A day after Doug Eckert retired from his position as commander of the Second District, the respected New Orleans Police Department veteran died of cancer, according to social media posts by the NOPD and other law-enforcement agencies. “It is with heavy hearts that we inform you of the passing of Retired Commander Doug Eckert of the Second District. Commander Eckert passed away last night after a long hard battle with cancer. Each of us not only grieves at the passing of a tremendous individual but also for the loss his family suffers,” states the NOPD Second District Facebook page on Monday morning. Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro posted: “New Orleans suffered another huge loss Monday night with the passing of Cmdr. Doug Eckert, truly one of NOPD’s finest.
From the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
Residents are encouraged to prepare for heavy rainfall and potential flooding through Friday, June 7. Numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected across the New Orleans region through Friday, some of which could cause heavy rainfall leading to ponding of water in low-lying areas and areas of poor drainage. Rainfall totals between 2 to 6 inches are expected across the area with locally higher amounts possible through Saturday afternoon. The greatest threat of flooding in the metro area is currently forecast to be on Thursday, June 6, with a “Slight” to “Moderate” risk of excessive rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. A Flash Flood Watch will be in effect in New Orleans tonight through Thursday evening.
from the City of New Orleans
The Krewe of Nyx proposed a second parade for the summer, but Mayor LaToya Cantrell denied the request, as it would mean using major public safety resources during hurricane season. Cantrell issued the following statement regarding the proposal:
“While I have the utmost respect for what Nyx has achieved as an all-women’s Carnival krewe — and I applaud them for their commitment to our children and our community — unfortunately I cannot support the addition of a summer parade,” Cantrell said. “Their proposed second parade places demands on our public safety resources in the middle of hurricane season, and it is not something our NOPD leadership is comfortable with. Their request has been denied, and the event will not proceed.”
The Krewe of Nyx rides through Uptown every Mardi Gras season on the Wednesday before Fat Tuesday.
The city has a new evacuation plan in place for the 2019 hurricane season, which begins today and runs through Nov. 30. For the fifth year in a row, the season got ahead of itself, however. On May 20, the first named storm of the year, Subtropical Storm Andrea, formed in the Atlantic near Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center gives 2019 a 70% probability for nine to 15 named storms, four to eight hurricanes and two to four major hurricanes.
On Tuesday, May 28, the city’s Department of Public Works’ construction contractor, Hard Rock Construction, will close the sidewalk in the 700 block of South Jefferson Davis Parkway, as well as the bikeway bridge over the Pontchartrain Expressway. Signage and traffic control measures such as barrels will be onsite to direct bicyclists and pedestrians. “Residents and commuters should plan to travel at slower speeds and use caution when driving, bicycling and walking near this construction site,” a Mayor’s Office press release states. Crews will spend a few days removing and replacing a section of the concrete pathway in order to correct a low spot in the sidewalk that causes water to pool at the site, city officials said. The contractor will begin on Tuesday and work will be completed by Thursday, weather permitting.
from the City of New Orleans
Updated 11 a.m. 5/13/2019
New Orleans officials released the following information following heavy rains and thunderstorms that moved through the metro area Sunday morning. More than five inches of rain fell in parts of the city between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., with bouts of heavy rain at rates of two inches an hour and higher sparking Flash Flood Warnings. Widespread street flooding was reported throughout the city. Observed flooding in some areas took notably longer to drain. Those areas include:
Area bounded by Canal Boulevard, West End Boulevard, City Park Avenue, and Filmore Avenue
Broad Street and Orleans Avenue corridors
Banks Street corridor
Franklin Avenue at I-610/I-10 overpass
Napoleon Avenue from Claiborne Avenue to Broad Street
St.
With gun violence always in the spotlight, the New Orleans-based Home Defense Foundation honored Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph P. Lopinto III Tuesday night for his commitment to keeping residents and business owners safe. “The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office does not prevent crime; we solve crimes quickly to prevent the next crime,” Lopinto said. Lopinto’s office serves over 400,000 residents, more than any other parish in Louisiana, and ranks as the 15th largest sheriff’s jurisdiction in the U.S. “We make sure to solve crimes quickly to prevent retaliation,” he said. One tool that helps Lopinto reach that goal is the JPSO’s in-house crime lab, the only facility of its kind in the region. Though the lab is expensive to operate, it provides immediate results.
