Lake Charles –
Earlier this morning the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office began evacuating all prisoners, over 900, due to the threat of Hurricane Laura. The prisoners will be housed in various facilities throughout the state and will be brought back as soon as conditions are safe.
Also, effective immediately the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s administrative office, tax office, and departments with non-essential personnel will be closed. However, all emergency divisions including patrol, will continue to be operational. The CPSO high water and rescue teams will be available to help anyone who finds themselves in an emergency situation, trapped in their home and needs help evacuating, or has any other weather-related issues. Please call 911 or the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office at (337) 491-3700 if you have an emergency.
Sheriff Tony Mancuso stated, “Looting and destruction of property during this disaster will not be tolerated. The jail will remain operational for anyone who commits a major crime, as well as, anyone destroying property or looting in Calcasieu Parish.” He continued, “We will also activate a dusk to dawn curfew starting tomorrow evening. The Sheriff’s Office will be increasing manpower on patrol and will do everything we can to keep you and your property safe, but at some point it will be too hazardous for deputies to respond and for that time frame you need to ensure your own personal safety if you choose to stay.”
Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26 at 6:00 a.m. CPSO will have a call center that will be manned 24/7 for non-emergency concerns or issues. The numbers to call are (337) 491-8068 and (337) 491-3685. Please only call these phone lines if you need hurricane-related information. If you have an emergency or need assistance, please call 911.
Follow CPSO on Twitter @CalcasieuSO or on Facebook for continued updates and information on Hurricane Laura.