Contact: Hannah Wenninger, City of Natchitoches
Phone: (318) 352-2772
Email: hwenninger@natchitochesla.gov
2/11/21
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CITY ENCOURAGES CITIZENS TO BE PREPARED AS INCLEMENT WEATHER THREATENS THE AREA
NATCHITOCHES – As of Thursday, February 11th, weather predictions of inclement weather are expected to impact our area over the next week. The City of Natchitoches would like to notify its citizens we are expecting temperature lows in the teens for several days along with some predicted ice and snow fall.
As this winter system moves through the area, residents are strongly encouraged to follow the safety tips below.
- Stay off roads if possible. If you must travel, give extra time and drive with extreme caution allowing extra distance in between vehicles when stopping
- Stay indoors and dress warmly.
- Prepare for power outages.
- Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Only use generators and grills outdoors and away from windows. Never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven.
- Use extreme caution when utilizing space heaters keeping them away from combustible items and being aware of the risk of heaters overturning.
- Check on your elderly neighbors while maintaining social and physical distancing. Consider connecting with family and friends by telephone, e-mail, text messages, video chat, and social media.
- Bring pets indoors. If you cannot bring them inside, provide adequate shelter to keep them warm, making sure the door to the shelter is facing south to avoid the cold north winds from entering the shelter. Also, make sure they have access to unfrozen water.
- Make sure exposed water pipes and back flow preventers are insulated from freezing temperatures. Insulate any water lines that run along exterior walls so your water supply will be less likely to freeze.
The offices of the City of Natchitoches will be closed to the public on Monday, February 15th in observance of Presidents’ Day. However, law enforcement, emergency personnel and utility personnel will be on call in case of an emergency. In the event of an emergency, please call 911. If you experience a power outage, please contact the City’s Utility Emergency Line at (318) 357-3880.
In the event of a power outage, the Utility Department will begin working to restore power as soon as possible, but we ask the citizens to remain patient during this time.
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