Parish President Matthew Jewell and the St. Charles Parish Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness are closely monitoring the tropical weather associated with Tropical Storm Francine currently in the western Gulf of Mexico.

The National Weather Service predicts five to seven inches of rain from this system, with impacts to St. Charles Parish beginning Tuesday afternoon and tropical storm conditions as early as Wednesday. Tropical Storm conditions (sustained winds of 58-73 MPH) are expected as early as Wednesday morning.

In preparation for the storm, sandbag locations will open for St. Charles Parish residents at the East and West Bank Bridge Parks beginning the afternoon of Monday, September 9, 2024. Residents should only take what they need and bring their own shovels.

The Department of Public Works is preparing for the storm by checking pump stations, clearing storm drains and ensuring draining systems are fully operational. The Department of Wastewater is also out installing generators at critical lift stations. A decision on boat launch closures will be made as the storm approaches.

Garbage service is currently scheduled to run normal collection routes, and residents should put trash out to the curb to be collected. Residents should secure all debris on their properties that could become a projectile.

As the storm moves toward landfall, residents should continue monitoring the weather and following guidance from local officials by signing up for SCP Alerts at www.scpemergencyalerts.com to customize their alerts or by texting SCPALERTS to 88877 to receive all alerts.