04:34 PM CDT on Friday, September 30, 2005

St. Tammany Parish President's Office

A CURFEW CONTINUES TO BE IN EFFECT FOR ST. TAMMANY PARISH FROM 11:00PM TO 6:00AM. VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED. THIS CURFEW IS IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY.

THERE IS A BURN BAN IN EFFECT IN ST. TAMMANY PARISH. DEBRIS ON THE SIDES OF THE ROADS IS BECOMING DRY. A FIRE CAN EASILY GET OUT OF CONTROL AND CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO LIFE AND PROPERTY. PROTECT YOURSELF, YOUR LOVED ONES AND YOUR NEIGHBORS. DO NOT BURN. THE BURN BAN WILL BE ENFORCED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW. THE PENALTY FOR BREAKING THE BURN BAN IS UP TO 30 DAYS IN JAIL OR A FINE BETWEEN $300-$500.

CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS: Charter has now established a repair update hotline 1-888-249-7751, that customers can call in to hear updates on their particular area. Crews are currently working in and around the following communities: Abita Springs, Bush, Covington, Folsom, LaCombe, Madisonville, Mandeville, Pearl River, Slidell and Sun. Widespread outages still exist in Abita Springs, Bush, Covington, Folsom, LaCombe, Slidell and Sun. In the City of Slidell, crews are working southeast from Old Town to Old Spanish Trail and in the Cross Gates and Kingspoint areas. In the City of Mandeville, crews are working in the back sections of Greenleaves, Weldon Park, Marigny Subdivision, Hwy 1088 and Old Town Mandeville as well as Lake Shore, Colbert and Molitor streets. In the City of Covington, service is currently being restored to the downtown area and work continues in all other areas of the city as well as toward the Abita Springs area. Estimated time to restore services in these ar!

eas is approximately 3 weeks. Isolated outages still exist in Madisonville and Pearl River with an estimated time to restore all services within two weeks.

DRINKING WATER SOME AREA RESTRICTIONS REMAIN: Louisiana DHH continues to sample some private water systems. Be sure you know who the provider of your water is before you begin to drink the water. This is a very serious public health issue. If you have ANY doubt about the safety of your water, CONTINUE TO BOIL. Due to the extensive number of water systems in St. Tammany Parish, we cannot list the smaller private wells and systems. Call the Parish Department of Environmental Services at 898-2535 for additional water information from 8am to 4:30pm. You may also call the LA Department of Health and Hospitals at 893-6296.

DEBRIS PICKUP: 130 crews are picking up debris in St. Tammany Parish. Please help by taking your yard debris to the ditch DO NOT put the debris in the ditch! Please keep the debris away from mailboxes, away from under power lines and on top of electrical equipment, such as transformers. Please separate wooded debris from flooded household debris since different haulers will be picking up the different items. St. Tammany Parish has picked up 628,000 cubic yards of debris to date. For more information call 985-201-0809.

MOSQUITO CONTROL: Mosquitoes help spread West Nile Virus! Use insect repellant containing DEET when outdoors. The number of mosquitoes in road side ditches is increasing due to debris. Residents should empty all outdoor containers holding water. If it holds water it can breed mosquitoes cover it, dump it & turn it over, or get rid of it! Tonight Mosquito Abatement will be spraying in central and northern Slidell.

TARPS: The Army Corps of Engineers is providing blue roofing and tarps. You may sign up for them at the Slidell Memorial Founders Building on Robert Rd and the old Wal-Mart in Slidell.

JOB FAIRS: The Shaw Group is conducting a JOB FAIR at Covington Country Club through October 2, 9am-6pm. The Louisiana Department of Labor is hosting a job fair Thursday, October 6, 9am-Noon at the Greater Covington Center, Bogue Falaya Hall, 317 N. Jefferson St., Covington. Employers with positions available should contact (985) 893-6254 or (985) 893-6205.

REGISTRAR OF VOTERS: Absentee voting for the October 15 primary election will be from October 3-8. Weekday hours from 8:30am-4:30pm, and on Saturday from 8:30am-12pm. The Covington office is at 701 N. Columbia St, and the Slidell office is closed until further notice. For more information call 985-809-5500.

DISASTER FOOD STAMP EXTENSION: The Emergency Food Stamp program has been extended. They have two locations serving individuals from St. Tammany, Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes. The Slidell and Covington locations are open from 8am-4:30pm, 7 days a week until October 6 providing this service.

Slidell Municipal Auditorium, Second Street in Old Town Slidell, across from City Hall

71040 Highway 21 (Tyler Street) in Covington east side of Highway 21 near the Lutheran Church

People in need of food stamps is can apply by visiting the above locations. If you are unable to access your normal monthly income due to loss of job, bank closure, social security checks not being received, etc., you could be eligible for the Disaster Food Stamp Program. Applicants are required to bring photo identification, proof of residence at the time the hurricane hit and proof of current address after the hurricane. After October 6, the regular Food Stamp Program will be reinstated.

RED CROSS UPDATE

SHELTER/HOT MEALS INFORMATION: Red Cross is serving meals twice a day midday and early evening. The Red Cross has 863 volunteers are working in St. Tammany Parish and has served over 1.5 million meals to date.

AMERICAN RED CROSS FINANCIAL AID: Red Cross has over 863 volunteers from both in and out of the state. The Red Cross has raised over $933 million and assisted 500,030 families. The American Red Cross toll-free call center is established to provide financial resources, from $360 to $1,500 to hurricane survivors across the nation to meet their immediate disaster-caused needs. This financial assistance program is available from the national headquarters at 1-800-975-7585 telephone number to register. The American Red Cross has also opened a drive-through Red Cross center in Slidell offering disaster financial assistance. It will be open 9am-7pm, 7 days a week at 1000 Caruso Blvd. in Slidell (Slidell Factory Outlet). There is also a walk-up center in Mandeville at 3030 E. Causeway. Financial assistance is based on factors such as family size, residence, and costs of necessities. One member of each household should call 1-800-975-7585.

FEMA SERVICES UPDATE

FEMA ASSISTANCE: Disaster victims are urged to register for assistance by calling FEMA s toll-free registration line 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362), TTY 1-800-462-7585 for speech and hearing impaired, or register online at www.fema.gov. People who have questions may visit the FEMA center at John Slidell Municipal Park, 105 Robert Road, from 9am - 7pm, seven days a week to meet face-to-face with recovery specialists. As of September 29, FEMA reports that 101,548 households in St. Tammany have registered for FEMA assistance. FEMA has designated $7.5 million in assistance to St. Tammany Parish.

FEMA TRANSITIONAL HOUSING: Anyone in need of transitional housing must call FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) to get your name on the list. FEMA is determining housing priorities.

FEMA SUPPLY DISTRIBUTION CENTERS: Water, ice, food, and tarps are available from 7am to 8pm at the following FEMA distribution centers: OLD WALMART, I-10 & Gause Blvd., Slidell and TARGET, I-12 & HWY. 21, Covington.

CULTURAL EVENTS:

Covington Block Party will be held rain or shine Friday, September 30, beginning at 5:30pm. Come out stroll the streets and relax while enjoying food, music, art and more.

Skyfire Theatre presents Greater Tuna, 332 N. New Hampshire Street, Covington. The show will run Fridays and Saturdays, October 7 29, 8pm, and Sunday, Oct. 16, 3pm. Admission: Pay what you will. Proceeds to benefit Northshore Pelican Foundation, a 501(c)3 tax-deductible corporation established to help St. Tammany citizens recover from the devastation of Katrina. This ever-popular show was created more than 20 years ago as a satirical sketch of small town life. Call 985-875-7577 - www.skyfire.tv.

Skyfire Movies Update: Daily at 6:45pm and 8:45pm. Showing Monty Python & The Holy Grail, Sept. 30-Oct.3.

The Bayou Jam Concert Series in Slidell Heritage Park, presented by the City of Slidell, has been RESCHEDULED! Free performance by the Bucktown All-Stars, will be Sunday, October 2, 5-7pm. Picnic-style seating. Call 646-4381.

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum 2005 Wooden Boat Festival will be held as scheduled Saturday & Sunday, November 19 & 20, 2005.We hope you will join us in celebrating the strong spirit and resilience of the people of Southern Louisiana. The museum is located at 133 Mabel Drive, Madisonville, LA.

The Covington Farmers Market has reopened and will celebrate its 10th anniversary, on Saturday, October 1st, from 9am - 1pm. The Market is located on the side lawn of Covington City Hall, 609 N. Columbia Street. The Market offers fresh local produce, prepared foods, plants, as well as live music and cooking demonstrations. The 10th anniversary celebration will include a cooking demonstration by legendary Chef Chris Kerageorgiou of La Provence in Lacombe, beginning at 10am, and the popular bluegrass band the Abita Strings will perform, beginning at 9:30am. Call (985) 892-1873.

Pelican Park Recreation Department is resuming all Fall Sports seasons. Revised practices begin on October 3 and games begin on October 8. For details go to www.pelicanpark.com or call 626-7997.