Cameron, La. 70631

The CameronParish

PilotOctober 8, 2020

Vol. 64--No. 1

50¢

Cont. on Page 2

Cont. on Page 2

FERRY ACADIA has returned to Cameron. Operating hours are 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.daily. (Photo by Paul Sellers.)

THE OCT. 1 POLICE Jury meeting was held in Cameron with a full house of con-cerned citizens. (Photo by Cyndi Sellers.)

ROBERT KIDDER, of Cameron Answers, announces asearch for an operator for the Lighthouse Bend projecton Davis Road in Cameron during the Oct. 1 Police Jurymeeting. (Photo by Cyndi Sellers.)

THE WESTERN SHELTER urgent care clinic set up at South Cameron MemorialHospital had to be taken down for the second time in advance of an approaching trop-ical system. It was removed for Tropical Storm Beta and now for Hurricane Delta.

(Photo by Cyndi Sellers.)

Police Jury meetings concentrate onHurricane Laura recovery & relief efforts

Delta seemsto be headedto our region

P.J. recoverymeetingscancelled

Citizens urgedto documentrepairs now

State of emergency declaredahead of Hurricane Delta

By CYNDI SELLERS

Hurricane recovery was themain topic of last Thursday'sCameron Parish Police Jurymeeting. The discussion waswide ranging, and a largenumber of residents werepresent with questions.Persistent flooding on PelicanPoint Road in Grand Lakewas brought up by ButchGuidry, and other jurors saidthey have roads that flood aswell. Parish AdministratorKatie Armentor said moneywill become available for roadimprovements through theDisaster CommunityDevelopment Block Grantand Hazard Mitigation pro-grams. Public WorksSupervisor Emily Mock willmake a list of all flood-proneroads for a priority list.

Curtis Fountain asked thestaff to pursue getting thestate to mitigate state high-ways in the parish that havebeen compromised by Laura'sflooding. Armentor said JuryPresident Sonny McGee andRep. Ryan Bourriaque hadalready met with DOTDabout the problem and willpursue federal funds forimprovements. Some localmoney might even be used tostart the process.

LSU AgCenter Agent KevinSavoie reported that the SeaGrant program had visited allthe boat docks and is makinga list of all fishing boatsdestroyed by Laura. SeaGrant is in the process of try-ing to find assistance. AgentBradley Pousson has beenworking with cattle owners onthier needs. The 4-H programis holding a virtual signup.

A Fenstermaker represen-tative reported that the com-pany has begun modeling forthe flood prevention projectbeing designed for LittleChenier and Chenier Perdue.These areas often flood fromheavy rain events farther tothe north.

District Attorney JenniferJones suggested that insteadof demolishing the old DA'soffice, the Parish might con-sider offering it to the U.S.Post Office for sale or lease.She said the agency is veryinterested, since the parishseat must have a post office,and this building survived.

She also gave a report onthe progress of providingmedical services at SouthCameron Memorial Hospital.Instead of the DMAT team'smobile urgent care unit,staffed by the Army, the hos-pital is installing a WesternShelter tent clinic, staffed bySCMH personnel, and pow-ered by a solar array providedby Tesla. The clinic was sup-posed to be operational thisweek, but Hurricane Deltahas caused it to be disman-tled. It will be returned whenthe danger is over.

For step two, the hospitalplans a temporary emergencyroom unit composed of severalmodular units like those thehospital was built with. It willinclude x-ray, and laboratory

PREPAREDNESS TIPS

Please remember, if flashflooding becomes a problemdue to heavy rainfall, neverdrive on flooded roadways.Check out the LouisianaDepartment ofTransportation andDevelopment’s websitewww.511la.org for updatedroad closure information.

Finalize an emergencycommunications plan withyour family and co-workers.

Check your emergency sup-plies. Remember to includeany items needed to sustaineach family member for atleast 3 days.

Supply kits should include:1. A three to five- day sup-

ply of water (one gallon perperson per day) and food thatwon't spoil

2. A supply of face cover-ings, hand sanitizer and dis-infectant wipes due toCOVID-19 concerns

3. One change of clothingand footwear per person, andone blanket or sleeping bagper person

4. A first aid kit thatincludes your family's pre-scription medications

5. Emergency tools includ-ing a battery-powered radio,flashlight and plenty of extrabatteries

6. An extra set of car keysand a credit card, cash ortraveler's checks

7. Sanitation supplies 8. Special items for infant,

elderly or disabled familymembers

9. An extra pair of glasses 10. Important family docu-

ments in a portable, water-proof container

11. Mess kits, paper cups,plates and plastic utensils,paper towels

12. Paper and pencil 13. Books, games, puzzles

or other activities for children14. Infant formula and dia-

pers 15. Pet food and water The Governor’s office will

share updates about Delta,

Gov. John Bel Edwards onTuesday, Oct. 6, declared astate of emergency in advanceof Hurricane Delta, which isforecast to make landfall inSouth Louisiana on Friday,Oct. 9, or Saturday, Oct. 10.

The Governor hosted aUnified Command Groupmeeting Tuesday afternoon,followed by a media briefingat 3 p.m., which was streamedat gov.louisiana.gov. TheGovernor’s Office ofHomeland Security andEmergency Preparedness’Emergency OperationsCenter began 24 hour opera-tions on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Hurricane Delta was cur-rently a Category 4 storm andentered into the Gulf ofMexico on Wednesday, Oct. 7,with wind speeds greaterthan 130 miles per hour.While it was currently pro-jected to weaken a bit beforelandfall, it may be a Category3 storm and significantimpacts are expected. Wind,rain and surge will likely besubstantial.

“Hurricane Delta is anincredibly dangerous stormthat will bring heavy winds,rain and life threateningflooding and storm surge tocoastal Louisiana. Everyonein South Louisiana shouldpay close attention to theweather in the coming daysand heed the advice anddirections of their local offi-cials. Now is the time to makepreparations for Delta’simpacts,” Gov. Edwards said.“All of Louisiana’s coast is inthe tracking cone, and we arewell aware that impacts canbe felt outside of the track.”

“We have seen an activehurricane season already,with a devastating hit inSouthwest Louisiana fromHurricane Laura. It would bea mistake for anyone inLouisiana to let down theirguard. Be prepared,” Gov.Edwards said.

Louisianans can getupdates from the Governor’soffice via text by texting'HurricaneDelta' to 67283.

capability and at least 10inpatient beds, as required byfederal rules. the temporaryER unit can only operate fortwo years; after that it mustbecome permanent. The hos-pital board does not want tobuild a large a facility as thecurrent one but plans to buildhigher.

South Cameron MemorialHospital averaged 1500patients a year and is fundedby a local tax and proceedsfrom the hospital in Creoleand the care unit in LakeCharles. It was built with pri-vate donations.

Mosquito Control DirectorJosh Hightower reported thataerial spraying began oneweek after Laura, using pesti-cides already stored by theagency. Extra plans have beencontracted. The priorities areareas with livestock and peo-ple working in recovery. Therehave been 14 nights of aerialspraying and 11 nights oftruck spraying. After a weekof spraying, the mosquito pop-ulation returned to normal.Then TS Beta's floodingspawned a new hatch, so morespraying was planned.

To date, there had been640,333 acres sprayed by air,at a cost of $828,663. Jurorssaid, "Keep spraying," andpromised more money if need-ed.

TEMPORARY HOUSING,PERMITS

Katie Armentor said shehas been requesting a meet-ing with FEMA on temporaryhousing for Cameron Parishfor three weeks. "They won'tmeet with us," she said. "I amdisgusted with their lack ofeffort. They have met withCalcasieu, Beauregard, andJeff Davis. We can't get tem-porary housing without ameeting."

Permit fees for homerepairs have been waived. Apermit is required for repairsto any home in the SpecialFlood Hazard area. CoastalZone Manager Myles Hebertsaid the rules are the same asbefore the storm. Elevationsand building code are notchanging. Homes need sewerand electricity first. Repairsto minor damage are okay.Canopies will now need per-mits, and there will be windloads. This is not currently inthe state rules, and Hebert iswaiting on a letter to confirmthe ratings.

Hebert said his office isswamped, working to getpower to everyone. The LSUAgCenter website has recom-mendations for repairs andbuilding in the flood zone, andthere is information on thePolice Jury website as well. Asimple one-page checklist wasto be prepared and releasedon Facebook.

"Substantially damaged"buildings will have to be ele-vated and brought up to code.Substantial damage is over 50percent of the property valuerequired for repair. Hebertsuggests getting an engineeror architect to evaluate the

value, and a contractor to pro-vide the cost of repair.

ASSESSMENTSTax Assessor-elect Darrell

Williams was asked aboutproperty tax assessments inthe wake of hurricane dam-age. Williams said the matteris under discussion at theAssessor's office, and therewill probably be a reductionin all residential property val-ues before the tax bills go out.Staff have been drivingthroughout the parish lookingat all the homes. A decisionwill be made by the currentAssessor, Orson Billings, in acouple of weeks.

Commercial property willbe considered on a case bycase basis. At any rate, theincome for the Police Jury,School Board, Sheriff's Office,and local districts will beaffected, and the Assessor'sOffice will be advising them ofthe impact when it is known.

DEBRIS REMOVALGreg Gachassin, owner of

several commercial propertiesin Cameron, asked about thedebris removal process, andwhat to do if the property isnot close to the state or parishroad. All debris must bemoved to the right of way,which generally extendstwenty feet from the edge ofthe road. It is best to separatevegetative debris, householddebris, construction materi-als, white goods, and haz-ardous materials.

Trucks are making passesnow and will make more onthe same routes if more debrisshows up. State highways andparish roads are being han-dled by different contractors,with different instructions.These contractors are beingpaid by the cubic yard, not bythe hour or day, so they willpick up as much a possibleeach day.

Certain items, however,will be left behind for laterpickup. These includepropane tanks, white goods,and tires. Household garbageshould not be included in thepiles. Waste Management isnow picking up garbage on itsregular routes. Parishgarbage cans are now avail-able by calling the PublicWorks department.

Private Property DebrisRemoval (PPDR) is a FEMAprogram that has beenapplied for. When granted, itwill allow crews to come ontoprivate property to removedebris, fallen trees, and the"leaner and hanger" treesthat were removed after Rita.

Some Parish dump sitesare open for householdgarbage disposal, but theclosed dumps in lowerCameron Parish are waitingon fences, sewers, and staff onsite. They should only be usedfor household debris.

Permits were issued forseveral landfills around theparish, but they are still wait-ing for Department of NaturalResources approval.

By CYNDI SELLERS

It doesn't seem possible,but six weeks after HurricaneLaura devastated CameronParish and SWLA, anothermajor storm is heading for theregion. Hurricane Delta, acategory 4 storm crossed theYucatan peninsula onWednesday, weakening to aCategory 3 for a short timebefore heading into the warmGulf of Mexico. It was expect-ed to regain its Cat 4 intensi-ty and then weaken again to aCat 3 when it reaches thecooler waters of the northernGulf. The projected track haswobbled from Morgan City toLake Arthur but remainsfocused on the southwest orsouth central Louisiana coast.

Many Cameron Parish res-idents have been evacuatedfor weeks, and some had onlyrecently returned to theparish, living in campers.Recovery efforts will undoubt-edly be delayed, and moredamage will likely occur if thetrack remains near theparish.

Parish dumps are closedindefinitely, and FEMA regis-tration centers are closed.Most other activities havebeen canceled until the out-come is known.

The National HurricaneCenter has issued HurricaneWatches and surge watchesfor Cameron Parish and otherneighboring parishes andcounties.

Hurricane Watch:Southeast Texas: Jefferson

and Orange CountySouthwest Louisiana:

Allen, Calcasieu, Cameron,and Jeff Davis Parish

South Central Louisiana:Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia,Lafayette, St. Landry, St.Martin, St. Mary, andVermilion Parish

Storm Surge Watch:Southeast Texas: Jefferson

CountySouthwest Louisiana:

Cameron and Jeff DavisParish

South Central Louisiana:Acadia, Iberia, St. Martin, St.Mary, and Vermilion Parish

Note: A storm surge watchmeans we expect some placesto see over 3 feet above groundlevel from storm surge flood-ing

The Cameron Parish PoliceJury is canceling its recoverymeetings this week because ofthe potential threat fromHurricane Delta, ParishAdministrator KatieArmentor has announced.

The Cameron Parish PoliceJury recommends that all res-idents take photos now of therepairs that you’ve made toyour home, property or busi-ness since Hurricane Laura.Store the photos securely.

If Cameron Parish sustainsany damaging effects fromHurricane Delta, you’ll haveproof of the repairs thatyou’ve made already. Thismay be helpful for insuranceor other purposes.

Mandatory EvacuationOrder for Cameron Parish

effective - Thursday, October 8th at 6 a.m.

Page 2, The Cameron Parish Pilot, Cameron, La., October 8, 2020

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Telephones: (337)786-8004 or (337)786-2870Jeffra Wise DeViney, Publisher & Advertising Manager; Shirley Johnson, Production

Manager; Crystal Nix, Office Manager; Evalin Hester, Dawn Spears, Karen Griffin, LaurenCooper, and Dustin Royer, Staff Members.

The Cameron Pilot, 110 Asa St., P.O. Box 1486, Cameron, La. 70631.Published Weekly. Entered as periodical mail at Cameron, La., 70631 and LakeCharles, La., 70601. Post Office, Periodical Postage paid.

POSTMASTER; Send address changes to: The Cameron Pilot, P.O. Box 995,DeQuincy, La. 70633.

Subscription Rates: $27.81 a year (tax included) in Cameron & CalcasieuParishes; $36.05 elsewhere in Louisiana; $35.00 elsewhere in the USA. E-papersubscriptions are $27.81 a year.

LA Young Readers’ ChoiceAward told for 2020-2021

Book giveaway forHurricane Laura victims

Kennedy announces $17billion for disaster relief

DECLARATIONCont. from Page 1

Hurricane Laura responseand recovery and COVID-19through its texting system.People may opt-in by texting'HurricaneDelta' to 67283and sign up for phone calls bygoing to Smart911.

Find more tips on weatherand preparedness onGOHSEP’s Facebook andTwitter accounts. Listen toconversations on all aspects ofemergency management bydownloading GOHSEP’s TheGet A Game Plan Podcast.You can receive emergencyalerts on most smartphonesand tablets by downloadingthe new Alert FM App. It isfree for basic service. The GetA Game Plan App is anotherresource available to help youand your family prepare forany type of emergency. Youcan download the LouisianaEmergency PreparednessGuide and find other informa-tion atwww.getagameplan.org.

These requests are said to bemoving forward.

LIBRARIESLibrary Administrator

Dede Sanders has reportedthat all parish libraries havebeen cleared by the structuralengineer, and water remedia-tion and elevator repair areongoing. All fared extremelywell, but the Library Boardplans to allocate funds fromthe Hackberry branch to thenew building that is beingdesigned.

The Sheriff's Office is beinghoused in the Grand LakeBranch until reliable powerand dependable internet isprovided in Cameron. TheRegistrar of Voters will alsobe in that building throughthe election.

DISTRICT ATTORNEYThe DA's office has located

in the LSU AgCenter office inGrand Lake until assured

power and internet are avail-able in Cameron. Like theSheriff's Office, the DA'sOffice needs access to certaininternet sources that cannotbe accessed from satellitefeeds.

38th Judicial DistrictCourt Judge PenelopeRichard plans to announcecourt dates in Cameron soon.

SBA LOANSSusheel Kumar and Corey

Williams of the SmallBusiness Administrationexplained that businesses,homeowners, and renters areall eligible for SBA loans arevery favorable interest rates.These loans can be used rightaway to get started on repairsand rebuilding, to payemployees and get back ontheir feet. Rates of 1.18 to2.37 percent are available for30 year loans of $40,000 to$200,000.

The deadline to apply isOct. 27. Borrowers need to geta FEMA number and then theSBA package at SBA.gov.

Emmy award winningcomedian, radio host, televi-sion anchor and newspapercolumnist Sheletta Brundidgeis making an appearance atthe Calcasieu Parish PublicLibrary as part of HurricaneLaura relief.

The Minnesota basedauthor is coming to CentralLibrary on Friday, Oct. 16, at9 a.m. and will be giving awaycopies of her book, “CameronGoes to School” to children.

The library is located at301 W. Claude St. in LakeCharles.

Sheletta will be givingaway copies of her best-sell-ing book, “Cameron Goes toSchool,” a book about a littlegirl with autism - Sheletta’sdaughter, in fact, as she startskindergarten.

Sheletta hopes to educateand inspire parents who havespecial needs children. (Threeof Sheletta’s four childrenhave been diagnosed withautism spectrum disorders.)

Along with her book,Sheletta will be giving awaycopies of other children’sbooks donated by fellowMinnesota authors.

"Just as I was about to takeall of the books that I had offof the shelves and drive themdown in my RV to give out tolibraries and kids impactedby Hurricane Laura, otherchildren's book authors inMinnesota stepped up todonate books as well,” men-tioned Brundidge. “Dozens oflocal Minnesota writers and

Entering its 21st year, theLouisiana Young Readers’Choice (LYRC) AwardsProgram is excited toannounce the 2021-2022nominated title lists forgrades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.Since the program’s first listin 1999, over 400,000 stu-dents have read the recom-mended titles and voted fortheir favorites, reading morethan 1.25 million books inthe process.

Every year thousands ofstudents from elementary tohigh school age vote for theirfavorite book from a list oftitles curated by librariansserving on LYRC committeesfrom across the state. Manystudents cast their ballot onreal voting machines sup-plied by the Secretary ofState’s Voter OutreachDivision.

“The Louisiana Readers’Choice Awards is just one ofmany phenomenal programsoffered through the StateLibrary which inspires a loveof reading among the youngpeople of our state,” saidLieutenant Governor BillyNungesser.

The 2021-22 nominatedtitle list includes manyaward winning authors,including Elizabeth Acevedo,winner of the National BookAward for Young People’sLiterature, the Michael L.Printz Award, and the PuraBelpré Award; Edgar Awardwinner Andrew Clements;Newbery Award winnerCynthia Lord; Jen Wang,winner of the Cybils Award,Harvey Award, and EisnerAward; and Alicia D.Williams, winner of theCoretta Scott King/JohnSteptoe New Talent AuthorAward. From fiction to non-

fiction, picture books to nov-els, science fiction toromance, historical to con-temporary, these carefullychosen booklists cover a vari-ety of interests and genres,so there is something forevery reader.

“The titles on these listsare selected by professionalschool and public librariansfrom across the state withdecades of experience work-ing with children and chil-dren’s literature,” said StateLibrarian Rebecca Hamilton.“The nominated titles repre-sent a variety of interestsand viewpoints. Finding sim-ilarities with people who lookand think differently helpsconnect us and fuels compas-sion. These are books thatkids will love and that willinspire them to keep readingbeyond the classroom walls,helping to create a culture ofliteracy in Louisiana, all ofwhich is a key part of ourmission here at the StateLibrary.”

The Louisiana Readers’Choice is a reading enrich-ment program of theLouisiana Center for theBook, housed in the StateLibrary of Louisiana. Its mis-sion is to foster a love ofreading in the children ofLouisiana by motivatingthem to participate in therecognition of outstandingbooks. According to a 2019Kids Count report, 74% ofLouisiana’s fourth graderswere not reading at a profi-cient level. The LouisianaCenter for the Book and theState Library of Louisianabelieves fostering a lifelonglove of reading amongLouisianans will contributeto the state’s overall econom-ic growth and quality of life.

To view the 2021-22Louisiana Young Readers’Choice Awards Programnominated titles list, see theattached document or clickhere. For information aboutthe program including previ-ous winners, how to partici-pate, and additionalresources such as free book-marks, posters, and studyguides, please visit theLouisiana Young Readers’Choice Program webpage.

illustrators met me at mypublisher's office, Beaver'sPond Press, to drop off hun-dreds of books to pass out tokids who lost everything inthe storm."

And books aren’t the onlything she will be delivering tofamilies in the Lake Area.

“Manhattan Toy, a local toycompany gave me 500plushies to pass out whichwas truly a blessing becausethat was so unexpected. Theyheard me talking about thegive-away on the radio andwanted to bless Lake Charleslittle ones with their toys,”Sheletta added.

Even though Sheletta andher family live in Minnesota,she was also devastated byHurricane Laura.

After Laura passed, five ofSheletta’s family memberswho reside in Lake Charlesdied from carbon monoxidepoisoning due to a generator.

Sheletta hopes that comingto Lake Charles and present-ing books and toys to childrenwill help others heal.

“I had planned to comeback to Lake Charles to visitthe gravesites of my five rela-tives who died duringHurricane Laura so I couldpay my respects,” saidBrundidge. “But while I wasplanning the trip with myhusband and four children, Iheard my Aunt Rosa Lewis'clearly in my spirit. She spoketo me from heaven withinstructions: ‘Girl you're notgoing to Lake Charles togrieve, you're going to give.’"

The program is free andopen to the public.

For more information onthe book giveaway, please logon towww.calcasieulibrary.org orcall 337-721-7116.

PJ MEETINGSCont. from Page 1

which funds the agency’srecovery efforts.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the SenateAppropriations Committee,released the following state-ment after the Senate passeda funding bill that adds $17billion to the FederalEmergency ManagementAgency’s (FEMA) disasterrelief fund and extends theNational Flood InsuranceProgram for a year.

“Louisiana is workinghard to rebuild whatHurricane Laura ripped toshreds, and they shouldn’thave to worry about whetherthe rest of the country isgoing to show up to help

them. I’ve worked to ensurethe disaster relief fund getsthe increase needed to takecare of people hurt by stormsand people struggling underthe coronavirus pandemic.Between the $17 billion infu-sion to the disaster relieffund and a full year’s exten-sion for flood insurance,Louisianians can take heartthat the resources they needare there for them,” saidKennedy.

Earlier this month,Kennedy introduced theHurricane Laura RecoveryFunding Act to increaseFEMA’s disaster relief fund,

HOME DEMOLITION has begun for Dusty and JuanitaSandifer’s home in Johnson Bayou. Their home wasaffected by Hurricane Laura and deemed a total loss likemany others in this area. They plan to rebuild.

(Photo by Cheyenne Sandifer.)

REPAIRS ARE already under way at Holly Beach. (Photo by Cyndi Sellers.)

MANY STRUCTURES at Holly Beach survivedHurricane Laura, unlike Rita's complete devastation.

(Photo by Cyndi Sellers.)

AN AMAZING aerial photo of a Creole home that with-stood Hurricane Laura, but became an island.

Page 3, The Cameron Parish Pilot, Cameron, La., October 8, 2020

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Early voting to be heldOct. 16-27, except Sunday

GeauxBot, a virtual voterassistant, now available

Register to vote Oct. 13online for Nov. 3 election

Nonprofits to receive grantsto help restart services La. Federal Student Aid

available beginning Oct. 1

On Wednesday, Oct. 7,Secretary of State Kyle Ardoinannounced the launch ofGeauxBot, a virtual voterassistant created in partner-ship with IBM. The IBMWatson Assistant technologygrants voters access to perti-nent election information suchas registration deadlines, elec-tion dates, polling locationsand hours. GeauxBot is anadditional resource along withthe GeauxVote mobile app andGeauxVote.com, to quicklyobtain the most accurate elec-tion information available.

“I am excited about thisnew feature which will helpanswer voters' questions24/7,” Ardoin said. “This is yetanother way Louisiana is atthe forefront of voter outreachand assistance”.

GeauxBot is accessible byvisiting voterportal.sos.la.govor by selecting Elections andVoting on the secretary ofstate website. Voters may thenfollow the instructions below

to utilize the feature:1. Select the blue chat icon

at the bottom right of thescreen. A disclaimer willappear, read and indicate “Iaccept”.

2. Voters will then be able tochoose a topic (VoterRegistration, Absentee Voting,Early Voting, Election DayVoting) or enter a specificquestion into the window.

3. GeauxBot will askprompting questions relatedto the voter’s question andprovide relevant answers.

4. Should the voter havefurther questions, theElections Division telephonehotline 800-883-2805 is avail-able Monday through Fridayfrom 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

GeauxBot is available 24hours a day, 7 days a week. Formore information about theSecretary of State’s ElectionsDivision, visitwww.GeauxVote.com or call225-922-0900.

The CommunityFoundation of SouthwestLouisiana initiated a grantprogram to help nonprofits re-engage with the people theyserve. The foundation is issu-ing fast grants of up to$10,000 to 501c3 nonprofitsthat had to shut down orreduce services afterHurricane Laura.

Documented as the mostpowerful storm to strike theregion in 150 years, Laurasnapped trees, ripped uphomes and businesses, andeven pushed over a freighttrain. The storm struck non-profits too; some reluctantlystopped operations unable toprovide greatly needed servic-es.

“In conversations with non-profits across the impactedareas, we learned that a quickgrant program would helpnonprofits stand up theiroperations again,” said SaraJudson, CEO of theFoundation, which is based inLake Charles, but serves most

The nextCongressional/Open PrimaryElection will be held Tuesday,Nov. 3.

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of Southwest Louisiana andbeyond, when needed. “Ourgrants are meant to let thenonprofits do what is neces-sary to re-enage with the peo-ple they serve.”

The Foundation will makegrants from contributions toits Hurricane Relief andRecovery Fund. It has raisedmore than $6 million in giftsfrom donors around the worldsince Laura struck in lateAugust, and granted morethan $1.5 million to nonprofitsthat responded first toSouthwest Louisiana in direneed.

The rapid grant program isopen now, and accepting appli-cations through mid October.Qualified nonprofits can applyby filling out a simple form atFoundationSwla.org/grants-apply .

These fast grants will bemade beginning in October.

Based in Lake Charles, theFoundation has been centralto community building acrossSouthwest Louisiana for morethan a decade. It has adurable affiliation with theBaton Rouge AreaFoundation, which has raisedand granted more than $150million for disaster recoverysince Hurricane Katrina.

been set. Times for all loca-tions are 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Oct. 16-27 - (10 days),closed Sunday, at theCameron Parish Registrar ofVoters Office, 148 SmithCircle, Cameron.

Tuesday through Thursday,Oct. 20-22 - Grand LakeLibrary, 10200 Gulf Hwy.,Grand Lake.

Monday, Oct. 26 - (one day),Hackberry CommunityCenter- 980 Main St.,Hackberry.

Call Michelle or Kristinwith any questions at 337-775-5493 or 337-775-8014.They are temporarily locatedat the Grand Lake Library.

This month, high schoolseniors will begin checking offone of the to-do’s on their sen-ior checklist - completing theirFree Application for FederalStudent Aid (FAFSA). TheFAFSA is the application forfederal, state, and institution-al aid and is available on Oct.1 each year. Today, theLouisiana Office of StudentFinancial Assistance (LOSFA)is launching its FAFSA NowPilot initiative, in partnershipwith the LouisianaDepartment of Education, andurging the Class of 2021 tocomplete their FAFSA early,by Feb. 1, 2021.

To date, 40 Louisianaschools have registered to par-ticipate in LOSFA’s FAFSANow Pilot campaign toencourage their seniors tocomplete the FAFSA by Feb. 1.

“Completing the FAFSAearly means students couldpotentially receive their col-lege award letters sooner sothey can know how much aidthey will qualify for,” said Dr.Sujuan Boutte, executivedirector of LOSFA. “Once theapplication is complete, sen-iors can begin searching forscholarships and planning outhow they will pay for the restof their college education.”

When families consider therising cost of college, not com-pleting the FAFSA couldmean students miss out onfree money. Free money isanother name for gift aid orfinancial aid that does nothave to be paid back. Fillingout the FAFSA can reduce a

student’s out-of-pocketexpenses for post-secondarystudies.

Along with federal aid suchas the Pell Grant, Work-Study,and Federal Student Loans,the FAFSA is the applicationfor state aid programs like theTaylor Opportunity Programfor Students (TOPS), TOPSTech, and the Louisiana GOGrant. Colleges and universi-ties also receive money toaward students. Federal aidlike Work-Study and theSupplemental EducationalOpportunity Grant (SEOG),and some institutional aid arefirst-come, first-serve. If a stu-dent waits too long to com-plete their FAFSA, with onlyso many funds available, theycould possibly miss out onpotential financial aid dollars.

“Every child deserves theopportunity to continue theireducation after high school,and financial burdens shouldnot be a barrier,” said StateSuperintendent of Education,Dr. Cade Brumley. “This ini-tiative will help open doors forour families that would haveotherwise remained closed.”

The FAFSA Now Pilot willuse text messaging and socialmedia (@LOSFA: Twitter andFacebook; @LOSFA001:Instagram) to spread the wordon the importance of complet-ing the FAFSA. Students andparents can text the word‘LOSFA’ to 50065 for help, use#GeauxFAFSA on socialmedia, and/or emailGeauxFAFSA@la.gov.

LOSFA will continue toassist schools with FAFSAcompletion events and offervirtual FAFSA assistance byregistering here.

Secretary of State KyleArdoin is remindingLouisianians that the dead-lines to register to vote in theNov. 3 Presidential Generaland Open CongressionalPrimary Election are fastapproaching. The in-person orby mail deadline was Monday,Oct. 5, and the online deadlineis Tuesday, Oct. 13. Thesedeadlines are for citizens whoare unregistered, as well asregistered voters who wouldlike to make changes to theirregistration.

Citizens can check theirregistration or register to voteonline atwww.GeauxVote.com; at yourparish’s Registrar of Voters

Office; while obtaining servic-es at the Office of MotorVehicles, public assistanceagencies, public schools, col-leges and libraries; or by mail.Louisianians can also utilizeour smartphone app,GeauxVote Mobile, to accessregistration, ballot and pollingplace information.

After registering, votersshould download theGeauxVote Mobile smart-phone app which provides reg-istration information as wellas voting districts, sample bal-lots, polling place informationand election results.

Early voting for the Nov. 3election is scheduled forFriday, Oct. 16 throughTuesday, Oct. 27 (excludingSundays), from 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

For more information aboutthe Secretary of State’sElections Division, visitwww.GeauxVote.com or call225-922-0900.

Generatorsafety is toppriority

Once again this hurricaneseason, Louisiana finds itselfbeing targeted by a tropicalsystem. Because of that, theState Fire Marshal’s Office(SFM) is reminding residentsto keep safety in mind whenutilizing portable generators.

“We have shared this mes-sage, at length, across south-west, central and northLouisiana followingHurricane Laura and the mul-tiple carbon monoxide deathsthat occurred after that disas-ter,” said State Fire MarshalChief H. “Butch” Browning,“We shared it again for thosein southeast Louisiana asHurricane Sally wasapproaching. And now withHurricane Delta likelyimpacting a significant por-tion of the state, we are askingall residents to educate your-selves about generator safetynow.”

Generators produce carbonmonoxide, which is an odor-less, colorless gas that can killwithout warning. That’s whyit’s also imperative to have acarbon monoxide detector foryour home, especially if youplan on using a generator.

The following generatorsafety tips are simple, buteffective in saving lives:

1. Do not place generatorsinside of any structure includ-ing garages, carports andsheds

2. Instead, place the gener-ator at least 20 feet away fromyour home, down-wind awayfrom open doors, windows andvents

3. Before refueling, turn thegenerator off and allow it tocool for 15-20 minutes

4. Never try to power thehouse wiring by plugging thegenerator into a wall outlet

5. Instead, use a heavy-duty, outdoor extension cord toplug appliances into genera-tors

6. Do not use in rain or wetconditions

7. Have a fire extinguishernearby

8. Have a carbon monoxidemonitor for your home

For updates from the SFMthroughout this event, visit:

1. lasfm.org2. Facebook: LAOSFM3. Twitter: @LAFIREMAR-

SHAL

Bill introduced to helpfund rebuilding efforts

Opportunity Zones across thecountry in 2017, and now thenew Hurricane LauraRecovery Opportunity ZonesAct will build on that programto provide the same favorabletax treatment for investorsinterested in helping commu-nities recover from the storm.

On Aug. 28, 2020, PresidentDonald Trump granted amajor disaster declaration forthe state of Louisiana, trigger-ing the release of federalfunds to help people and com-munities recover fromHurricane Laura, whichoccurred Aug. 22 to Aug. 27,2020.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.)introduced the HurricaneLaura Recovery OpportunityZones Act to increase invest-ment in communities hit hardby the category four storm.

“A month after HurricaneLaura struck, Louisianiansare already rebuilding theirhomes and businesses. I intro-duced the Hurricane LauraRecovery Opportunity ZonesAct to incentivize rebuildingand development projects insouthwest and centralLouisiana communities,” saidKennedy.

The Hurricane LauraRecovery Opportunity ZoneAct would incentivize buildingand development projects inlow-income areas impacted bythe storm by allowinginvestors to defer and poten-tially reduce capital gainstaxes on assets sold after Aug.28, 2020. Hurricane LauraRecovery Opportunity Fundswould be the vehicle forinvesting in eligible low-income areas, which will spureconomic development inareas devastated by the hurri-cane.

Hurricane Laura RecoveryOpportunity Zones are low-income census tracts in majordisaster areas designated toreceive individual assistanceas a result of the HurricaneLaura federal disaster decla-ration. These HurricaneLaura Recovery OpportunityZones allow investors to tem-porarily defer and partiallyexclude taxes on previouslyearned capital gains.

Investors who reinvestthose capital gains inHurricane Laura RecoveryOpportunity Funds would notbe taxed on those gains untilthey sell their investments oruntil the end of 2030. Gainsfrom investments inHurricane Laura RecoveryOpportunity Funds that areheld for at least 10 years areexcluded from tax.

This legislation alsoincludes a sense of theCongress that capital gainsrates should not be changed.

BACKGROUNDThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

(TCJA) authorized

Page 4, The Cameron Parish Pilot, Cameron, La., October 8, 2020

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICEADVERTISEMENT FORREVIEW OF LISTINGS

Notice is hereby given that theCameron Parish Assessor’s Officehas completed the listings of allproperty in the Parish of Cameronand has estimated the valuesthereon, and that said listings willbe exposed in the Assessor’s Officefor public inspection and/or correc-tion for a period of fifteen (15) cal-endar days, beginning October 22,2020 through November 6, 2020.Any taxpayer desiring to examinehis/her assessment is required tocall or come by during said fifteen(15) day period. The Assessor’sOffice is temporarily located at407 E Plaquemine St, Jennings,Louisiana. Our office is openMonday through Friday, from 8:00a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closing 12:00 to1:00 for lunch).

Orson Billings, CLACameron Parish Assessor

RUN: Oct. 1, 8 (O 3)

PUBLIC NOTICENOTICE is hereby given in

compliance with La. R.S. 42:19.1,that the governing authority ofWater and Wastewater DistrictNo. One of the Parish of Cameron,Louisiana, will meet in open andpublic session on Tuesday, the10th day of November, 2020 at4:00 p.m., at Cameron ParishWater and Wastewater DistrictNo. One, 126 Ann Street,Cameron, Louisiana, to considercalling an election to be held onMarch 20, 2021 in Water andWastewater District No. One of theParish of Cameron, Louisiana, forrenewal and levy of ad valoremproperty tax for the purpose ofoperating and maintaining saidDistrict’s water and wastewatersystems within and for saidDistrict.RUN: Oct. 8 (O 13)

FOR SALE

METAL OUTLET: MetalR o o f i n g ~ C a r p o r t s ~ M e t a lBuildings~Patio Cover Kits~C’s & Z’s~Custom Trim-RV &Equipment Covers~ 337-625-2778. 2241 E. Napoleon,Sulphur. Open Mon. - Fri. 7a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Temporarilyclosed on Saturdays. tfnc

FOR RENT

FOR RENT: Large 4/Br, 31/2Ba, family room, livingroom, dining and breakfastroom and Master Suite avail-able for lease; located about 6miles east of the MermentauRiver Bridge in GrandChenier on the GrandChenier Hwy. Interested par-ties please contact (281) 989-4804 for details. A signedlease is required to rent.

NOTICES

SUBSCRIPTIONS: HAVEyou bought your subscription.Cameron Pilot makes a greatwelcome gift; or buy one foryourself. Calcasieu-CameronParish, $27.81, Elsewhere inLA., $36.05, Elsewhere in theUSA, $35.00. Above rates apply.e-paper available online. Visitwww.cameronpilot.com to sub-scribe. Submit your payment toPO Box 995, DeQuincy LA70633.n/c

CLASSIFIED ADS Work!Follow these steps to create abetter classified ad: Begin yourad with the item that you areselling. Be descriptive. Play upthe best feature(s) of youritem(s). Make sure you includeyour phone number and thetimes of day to get in touchwith you. On Garage Sale ads,always remember to includeday(s) of sale, location andtime. Classified Ad Deadline iseach Wednesday at 10 a.m. allads must be paid in advance.Office hours are Mon. - Thurs.,8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Fri. 8 a.m. -Noon. Call our office toll free,(800)256-7323 to place an ad.Please check your ad the firstweek it runs. Cameron Pilotwill only be responsible forerrors the first week, and onlyfor the space it occupied.

E-PAPER: DID you knowthat you can enjoy readingyour Cameron Pilot online for$27.81 a year?

Cameron Pilot

Cameron Parish Registrar of Voters148 Smith Circle – Cameron, La. 70631337-775-5493 (O) 337-775-8014 (F)

cameronrov@sos.la.govRegister to vote or make changes to your registration

www.geauxvote.comvoterportal.sos.la.gov

www.sos.la.govThe next election is Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Presidential Congressional/Open Primary ElectionRegistration Deadlines

Online: October 13, 2020By mail or In person: October 5, 2020

Early Voting Dates are as followsTimes for all locations 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM

October 16th to October 27th (10 days) Closed SundayCameron Parish Registrar of Voters Office148 Smith Circle – Cameron, La. 70631

Tuesday, October 20th Wednesday, October 21st, and Thursday, October 22nd

Grand Lake Library10200 Gulf Hwy – Grand Lake, La. 70607

Monday, October 26, 2020 (1 Day)Hackberry Community Center - 980 Main St - Hackberry, La. 70645

Please Call Michelle or Kristin with any questions 337-775-5493.We are temporarily located at the Grand Lake Library.

RUN: Oct. 1 (O-2)

- JOB NOTICE -Cameron Parish Waterworks District #2 will

be accepting applications for a temporary,part-time position in the office located at 1190Main St. until Noon Oct. 14. Applications canbe picked up at the office Monday-Friday,8:00 a.m.-12 noon and 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.Applicants must have a valid driver's license

with a clean driving/criminal record, be atleast 21 years of age, and have a high schooldiploma or equivalent. The Cameron Parish Waterworks District #2

is an equal opportunity employer and doesnot discriminate based upon sex, race, reli-gion, ethnic origin, and/or political affiliation. For more information call 337-762-3935.

RUN: Oct. 1 & 8 (O-1)

— PUBLIC NOTICE — The Cameron Parish Mosquito Abatement

District #1 will hold a public meeting onMonday, October 12, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Themeeting will be held at the Grand LakeLibrary, 10200 Gulf Hwy., Lake Charles, LA70607. It will also be through ZOOM for thosewho can’t attend in person. If you would liketo join the meeting or have any questions,please contact our office at 337-775-5942.

RUN: Oct. 8 (O-11)

, — PUBLIC NOTICE —The Johnson Bayou Recreation District is seek-

ing quotes for various Recreation Center repairslocated at 135 Berwick Rd., Johnson Bayou,Louisiana. For a list of repairs to be completed,please contact the director, Heather Trahan, at337-324-5161. Interested companies must be li-censed and bonded.

RUN: Oct. 1, 8, 15 (O-6)

— PUBLIC NOTICE —The Johnson Bayou Recreation District is seek-

ing quotes for various Community Center repairslocated at 5556 Gulf Beach Hwy, Johnson Bayou,Louisiana. For a list of repairs to be completed,please contact the director, Heather Trahan, at337-324-5161. Interested companies must be li-censed and bonded.

RUN: Oct. 1, 8, 15 (O-5)

CameronOutdoorsBy LOSTON MCEVERS

SAME - OMost of our folks are still

away from their homes,including myself and wife,Glender. Yes, I drive back acouple of times a week but I’mstill here in Eunice. We’re stillbeing careful, trying to “notcatch” the Corona Virus,wearing our masks and wash-ing our hands. Teal seasonwas fair in some parts, but inthis area, they’ve done prettygood in teal limits.

FISHINGWith billions of dollars

having been devoted to helpdesign, develop and manufac-ture, plus distribution of newartificial lures, should tell ussomething. Ain’t nothing likethe real thing, “live bait”. Livebaits have been praised to thehigh heavens by anglers andmanufacturers alike. It’s nowonder that live baits contin-ue to be popular, especially foranglers, who most want toensure they make a catch,since they also don’t practice“Catch & Release”, or even tryto catch a trophy fish of a life-time.

Some think artificial baitsrequire greater skill andknowledge. Others think livebaits are too messy, and don’tknow how to care for fleshand blood baits.

One thing about live bait,it’s real, it smells real andfeels real. Real bait is ananglers best bet to catch areally big fish, the fish of alifetime, or a hundred life-times.

Now many anglers, toinclude bass anglers, useWorm Extract #1, best of allflavorings. Salt mix andsaline are contents found inNatural Prey #2. Salt, ordi-nary table salt is a long waydown from Prey salt mix #3.Garlic is not too far downbelow table salt #4 and sugaris down the list, an “also ran”#5.

If live bait don’t work foryou, fish rattletraps, buzz-baits or spinner baits, find thefish, put on a worm, creaturebaits or other plastic lures,rig’em Texas style or red baitstyle. Try different colors, butalways remember some char-treuse colors works alone ormixed with any color.

TOLEDO BENDAnglers have been catching

some nice bass, working theman-made brush piles, with aTexas rig worm or creature

bait. Bass have been deep, butwith the cold fronts beginningto show up, bass will come upto shallow waters. Good colorsfor fall fishing at Toledo BendLake are redbug, Junebug,Junebug red and plum apple.Try the deep points with plas-tic frogs or jigs.

BIG BASSOne of the top 100 lakes is

on the St. Lawrence River(Thousand Island) New York,a 50 mile stretch fromWaddington. They say slowand steady wins the race. Thishistorical rise in the rankingsof this northeast fisheryranks #12. In 2012 the St.Lawrence came in 53rd in theBest Lake rankings. The nextyear, it made a massive jumpto 13th. In the followingyears, the lake saw smallersteps up; 11th, 8th, 4th, 3rd,and then 2nd in 2018. Lastyear the lake made a bigchange, landing the #1 spot.

The Elite Series Pro’sbrought countless limits ofsmallmouth bass, topping the25 pound mark in 2018, withthe average bass in every1,335 caught, was almost fourpounds. The Big Bass hitseven pounds. There arelargemouth bass as well ifyou’re willing to settle for a 3-5 pounder. There’s thousandsof islands in this region andyes, the “wine” in the region isalso worth the visit.

REDFISH/TROUTMany of Cameron parishes’

speckle trout and redfishareas saw lots of damage fromHurricane Laura, but willagain come back to normal, aswe’ve gone through this morethan once.

Before Hurricane Laura,Vince Theriot, a GrandChenier raised fisherman,fished the Mermentau Riverarea, as well as upper MudLake, the Grand Chenier Gulfjetty areas, and oldMermentau River arrow,which is quite shallow inareas. Vince has been a guidefor over 20 years. He fishesareas around Little PecanBayou, White Lake andGrand Lake, which are closeby. There’s good redfish,speckle trout fishing in theseareas as well as flounder andcatfish.

BIG LAKEAlthough due to storm

damage, lots of saltwaterentered into the CalcasieuLake areas. It’s not that nospeckle trout are beingcaught, as well as redfish.September can be a toughmonth for trout fishing, astrout go for the bigger baitfish during the fall season.Oyster reefs, as well as thebeaches, the well head andCameron Jetties are usuallygood spots. Throw the CorkyFat Boy and catch a big one!

Friends help us throughthe big things and cherishtogether the little things!Catch ya later.

CameronSheriff’s report

The Cameron ParishSheriff ’s Dept. arrests for theweek of Sept. 29-Oct. 6 were:

Brian L. Hebert, DOB 9-8-92, 206 McVay St., LakeCharles; Speeding, Poss. ofCDS II, Poss. of CDS IV,Illegal Carrying of Weapons,Poss. of CDS V, Poss. ofLegend Drug.

Brian S. Rackley, DOB 3-1-88, 3431 Oneal Lane, BatonRouge; Fugitive Warrant,Poss. of Paraphernalia, Poss.of Marijuana, Poss. of CDS II.

Cameron 4-Hacceptingenrollments

Submitted by BRITTANY

ZAUNBRECHER

We know many of our 4-Hmembers are displaced fromHurricane Laura right now.Whether you are attending aschool outside of CameronParish temporarily or you arecontinuing the semesteronline, we want to give youthe opportunity to enroll andparticipate in Cameron 4-Hvirtually.

Any student in 4th-12thgrade who lives in or attendsschool in Cameron parish canjoin 4-H here. Even if you arecurrently displaced from theparish, you may still enrollwith us. 4-H members mustbe 9 years old before Jan. 1,2021 in order to enroll for thisschool year.

We will not charge enroll-ment fees to join 4-H thisyear. Visithttp://lsuagcenter.com/4hen-roll to enroll and make sure toselect Cameron as yourparish. This way, you will stillbe able to participate inregional and statewide eventssuch as livestock shows,shooting sports, JuniorLeaders, etc.

Our club meetings werealready going to be virtualthrough Google Classroomthis year due to Covid-19restrictions. We will continueto work with school adminis-trators to determine ourplans for the remainder of theyear once schools can reopen.

For now, we will holdmonthly virtual club meet-ings for elementary and mid-dle/high school members.Dates and times of meetingswill be sent out once they aredetermined. Contact us atbzaunbrecher@agcenter.lsu.ed uorbpousson@agcenter.lsu.eduwith any questions. We can’twait to see all of you in personagain and we wish you wellduring your recovery andrebuilding efforts! CameronParish Strong!

Bill passed toeradicate nutria

The Senate recently unani-mously passed Sen. JohnKennedy’s (R-La.) bill toamend the NutriaEradication and Control Act.Kennedy and Sen. DianneFeinstein (D-Calif.) intro-duced the legislation in Julyto prevent invasive nutriafrom continuing to destroyAmerica’s coastal wetlands.

“While Louisiana’s marsh-lands provide a habitat tosome of America’s most beau-tiful wildlife, they are also thefirst line of defense againstdamaging storms. Nutriahave already destroyed thou-sands of acres of wetlandalong our coast, puttingLouisianians and our ecosys-tems at greater risk. I want tothank my colleagues in theSenate for passing this bipar-tisan bill. Now, I hope itquickly becomes law to savecommunities from the Gulf ofMexico to the Pacific Oceanfrom these destructive swamprats,” said Kennedy.

“The nutria rodent threat-ens to overwhelm our farmsand wetlands if we don’t act.In California, there could beas many as 250,000 nutriawithin five years that couldcause more than $1.2 billion ayear in agriculture losses anderadication costs. I’m pleasedthat the Senate passed ourbill to stop this invasivespecies before the infestationgets out of hand,” saidFeinstein.

Kennedy’s bill authorizesan additional $6 million peryear to increase assistance forstates participating in theNutria Eradication Program,which provides funding tostates that take action toeliminate the invasivespecies.

The measure also makesall states eligible to partici-pate in the NutriaEradication Program andappropriates financial assis-tance based on the total areaof a state that is affected bynutria

Water hasreceded fromLA 1143 & 82

LA 1143The Louisiana Department

of Transportation andDevelopment advises that thewater has receded from thetravel lanes on LA 1143 at itsintersection with LA 82/LA27.

LA 82The Louisiana Department

of Transportation andDevelopment advises that thewater has receded from thetravel lanes on LA 82between Oak Grove and theMermentau River Bridge.

Black Bayou Bridgereturns to normal operation –Calcasieu Parish

The Louisiana Departmentof Transportation andDevelopment announces thatBlack Bayou Bridge on LA384 has reopened andreturned to normal 24/7 oper-ation.

DOTD has completedrepairs on damages sustainedduring Hurricane Laura.

Call 511 or visitwww.511la.org for additionalinformation. Out-of-statetravelers may call 1-800-ROAD-511 (1-800-762-3511).Motorists may also monitorthe LA DOTD website atwww.dotd.la.gov, by selectingMYDOTD, or by visiting theDOTD Facebook and Twitterpages.

ClosuresAll Cameron Parish Dumps

closed at 4 p.m. Wednesday,Oct. 7, until further notice.

****Due to Hurricane Delta,

FEMA registration centers inCameron Parish will be closeduntil further notice as of endof the business day onWednesday, Oct. 7.

The Louisiana Departmentof Transportation andDevelopment announces thatBlack Bayou Bridge on LA384 has reopened andreturned to normal 24/7 oper-ation.

DOTD has completedrepairs on damages sustainedduring Hurricane Laura.

Call 511 or visitwww.511la.org for additional

Black BayouBridge open

Page 5, The Cameron Parish Pilot, Cameron, La., October 8, 2020

4251 Nelson Rd. Lake Charles337-479-7570

A DISASTER LENDING PROGRAM FORHOMEOWNERS AFFECTED BY:

HURRICANE LAURAThe Evangeline Bank and Trust Company has inplace for our customers the following:• 100% Financing Including Tax, Title and License on

2018 models and newer RVs and campers• Take years to repay• Proof of Homeownership Required

This special lending program is intended only for homeowners affectedby Hurricane Laura who may have a need for temporary housing as theyawait repairs to their homes and not intended to finance RVs andcampers for recreational purposes.We are also offering loans to assist homeowners affected by Hurricane

Laura with financing home insurance deductibles.Contact any of our branches for more information on our Disaster

Lending Program.www.theREALbank.com

SHOWN ABOVE (Clockwise from top left) A cactus lady beetle, a predator of scaleinsects. (Photo: LSU AgCenter); Louisiana milk snake. (Photo: Alexandria Zoo); Anewly discovered wasp named for Joe Burrow, LSU's star QB in 2019. (Photo:zookeys.pensoft.net); Crape myrtles infested with crape myrtle bark scale (CMBS).(Photo: Sara Fuhrer, LeCompte).; A tomato hornworm infested with cocoons of thebraconid wasp. (Photo: Galveston County Texas Master Gardeners.)

WHAT IS missing from this picture? The Holly Beach water tower is gone!(Photo by Cyndi Sellers.)

By ANNABELLE STOKESLSU AgCenter

A. Wilbert’s Sons, LLC, willcontinue to sponsor multipleundergraduate researchinternships for LSU studentsin agriculture and naturalresources through the 2020-2021 academic year.

A. Wilbert’s Sons is a landmanagement company head-quartered in Plaquemine,Louisiana. It owns and man-ages a diverse group of prop-erties in Louisiana andMississippi, ranging from bot-tomland hardwood timber,plantation pine timber, agri-cultural row crops, eucalyp-tus, pastureland and commer-cial real estate.

A. Wilbert’s Sons researchInternships are a continuedpartnership with the LSUAgCenter. The company willfund six undergraduate stu-dents’ research this year.

These internships provideundergraduate students withpractical experience inresearching a diverse range ofagricultural and naturalresource disciplines underAgCenter faculty advisers’guidance.

Erin Matherne, a juniormajoring in environmentalmanagement systems concen-trating in resource conserva-tion, is working under thedirection of Jerrod Penn, aprofessor in the Departmentof Agricultural Economicsand Agribusiness.

Matherne’s researchinternship explores the bestoutreach methods to reachprivate landowners who maybe considered absenteelandowners. This group oflandowners is often less like-ly to actively engage in rou-tine land management prac-tices.

Her project combines bothconservation and social sci-ences research.

“Anything I can do to helpwith conservation efforts isfun to me,” Matherne said.“I’ve always been aware ofenvironmental issues, andI’ve enjoyed learning andfocusing on the social scienceside of conservation.”

This internship programstrives to expose LSU Collegeof Agriculture students tovarious scientific disciplinesthey might pursue as a careerafter graduation.

Katie Mestayer, a sopho-more majoring in plant andsoil systems with a concentra-tion in crop science, is work-ing with Lauren Lazaro, aprofessor in the School ofPlant, Environmental andSoil Sciences.

Their research investigatesreducing weed densities infields using cover crops, vary-ing herbicide treatments and

chaff lining. This is one ofLouisiana’s first studies toexperiment with chaff liningas a means of weed densityreduction.

“Food security is some-thing I really care about, andwe cannot have that withoutsecuring our food supply,”Mestayer said. “This researchmakes me feel like I have aplace in the food securitychain.”

Mestayer said her A.Wilbert’s Sons internship hasspearheaded her involvementwith undergraduate research.After completing her under-graduate degree, her goal isto pursue her degrees in high-er education and a career incrop research.

Other internship researchfunded for the 2020-2021 aca-demic year includes:

1. Kali Elftmann, a seniormajoring in natural resourceand ecology management, isworking under the directionof Zhijun Liu, a professor inthe School of RenewableNatural Resources, andHeather Kirk-Ballard, a pro-fessor in the School of Plant,Environmental and SoilSciences. The project is“Using Botanical Ingredientsto Control Ball Moss onOrnamental Plants.”

2. Lura Fontenot, a fresh-man majoring in generalbusiness, is working underthe direction of MichaelSalassi, program leader forplant and animal sciencesand professor in theDepartment of AgriculturalEconomics and Agribusiness,and Wade Baumgartner,AgCenter Office of SponsoredPrograms. The project is“Using Chaff Lining andAdditional Integrated WeedManagement Tactics.”

3. Haley Jackson, a seniormajoring in natural resourceand ecology management, isworking under the directionof Phillip Stouffer, a professorin the School of RenewableNatural Resources. The pro-ject is “Successional HabitatVariation Effects on MixedSpecies Bird Flock Structureand Social Networks inBottomland HardwoodForests.”

4. Grace Rosseau, a juniormajoring in natural resourceecology and management, isworking under the directionof Brett Wolfe, a professor inSchool of Renewable NaturalResources. The project is“Bark Water VaporConductance Associationswith Stress Tolerance inLouisiana Tree Species.”

Applications informationabout A. Wilbert’s Sonsresearch internships can befound onlineathttps://www.lsu.edu/agri-culture/wilbertsnrm.php.

.”By KEITH HAWKINSLSU AgCenter

NON-VENOMOUS SNAKEMichelle called the

AgCenter and described a“red and orange” snake in herdaughter’s bedroom. Shewanted to determine if it isvenomous or not. AHA andMichelle talked about the dif-ference between a venomouscoral snake, and a harmlessmilk snake. Michelle decidedto release this snake outdoorsbecause she knows thatharmless snakes will controlrodents and appreciates thebenefit of non-venomoussnakes. AHA went on to try toidentify this snake based oncolor description.

Several snakes fit thedescription above includingthe common water snake,corn snake or milk snake, andall these snakes are non-ven-omous and harmless. Again,these snakes control rodentsand other pests in the land-scape.

BARK SCALESara from LeCompte sent

an email on behalf of a neigh-bor, “My neighbor’s many,many mature crepe Myrtle’sare affected by aphids ([I]hope they don’t spread acrossneighborhood). RobbieHutchins, Area ForestryAgent, suggested sprayingwith Dawn™. [Do you have]any other suggestions/tips?”

In general, Dawn™ orother soap mixed with waterhas a smothering affect.However, Sara, in a lateremail, wrote, “My neighbor’strees did not seem to respondto the Dawn™, as far as wecan tell. And I pointed outthat those little white eggsacks are on all her manytrees, not just the three shesees by her porch. And moredisturbing (for me) is I’venoticed that my next doorneighbor has them on thecrepe myrtles by his house,but they haven’t yet crossedhis driveway to his trees bor-dering my side, but I’m brac-ing for the damage here, too.And I have no idea how youspray stuff all the way up intoa tall tree ”

AHA suspected that Sarahas crape myrtle bark scale(CMBS), a pest first observedin Texas around 2004. In herweekly column from Augustof 2020, Get It Growing:Combatting Crape MyrtleBark Scale, Dr. Heather Kirk-Ballard outlines some controlmeasures:

1. A soapy water mixturecomposed of dishwashing liq-uid with 1! teaspoons perquart of water or an insectici-dal soap and a soft brush canbe used to scrub the insectsoff of limbs and branches thatyou can reach and simplyrinse them away. Or you canspray the solution, reapplying

every five to seven days asneeded, covering both sides ofthe foliage. Leave the solutionfor several minutes and thenrinse the soap and bugs off.Do not apply on a hot, sunnydays to prevent burning theplant. This treatment is noteasily accomplished on verytall trees but is effective onsmaller ones.

2. Horticultural oil sprayscan be applied when tempera-tures are above 45 degreesand below 90 degrees. Alwaysspray in the late evening toslow drying time and increaseeffectiveness.

3. Finally, you can use achemical control with activeingredients such as acephate,bifenthrin or imidacloprid.

Finally, lady beetles willattack this scale. The cactuslady beetle, twice-stabbedlady beetle, and the bigemi-nate lady beetle are the mostcommon natural enemiesseen in infested trees inLouisiana. Go to Dr. Kirk-Ballard’s column to learnmore about CMBS.

JOE BURROW’S WASPIf you are a gardener and if

you are an LSU football fan,then this story will be inter-esting. LSU AgCenter assis-tant professor Nathan Lordand colleagues have named anew species of wasp afterHeisman winner Joe Burrow!The official wasp's name isOrientocardiochiles joebur-rowi.

This wasp was found inMalaysia and “Named inhonor of Joseph Lee Burrow,the world-class college foot-ball quarterback for the LSUTigers and the 2019 HeismanTrophy winner” according tothe Zoo Keys website. Thebiology of this wasp isunknown.

However, its Louisiana rel-ative, the braconid wasp,attacks garden pests like thetomato hornworm. This waspis tiny and harmless to peo-ple. The Georgia Extensionwebsite also reports, “There isa braconid wasp, Cotesia con-gregates, that specificallylooks for tomato hornworms.

This small wasp has clearwings and as an adult theyare nectar feeders. To per-suade the wasps to stay inyour garden you will need tohave flowers. The small bra-conid wasps are attracted tosmall flowers like yarrow andsmall asters.”

If you want to contactRoots, Shoots, Fruits andFlowers, please send yourquestions and pictures toKeith Hawkins, AreaHorticulture Agent (AHA),337-463-7006 orkhawkins@agcenter.lsu.edu.Also, you can be on the “greenthumbs” email list by email-ing your request to theaddress above.

Roots, Shoots,Fruits & Flowers

LSU Ag internships for2020-21 academic year

Page 6, The Cameron Parish Pilot, Cameron, La., October 8, 2020

F

W. Thomas Barrett, IIIA Professional Law Corporation

3401 Ryan Street, Suite 307 • Lake CharlesOffice: 337-474-7311 Fax: 337-310-8032

email: tombarrett@camtel.net

ighting for your rightsCall W. Thomas Barrett, III,Attorney at Law to find out

how he can help with the following:

PERSONAL INJURY CASES• Auto Accidents

• WRONGFUL DEATH ACTIONS

• ADMIRALTY & OFFSHOREACCIDENTS

• EXPLOSION & BURN VICTIMS

• WORKERS COMPENSATION

THE LAFAYETTE ROTARY Club brought gas Tuesday, Oct. 6, to Canik’s to distributefor free. Telesha Bertrand coordinated with the Rotary Club, Acadiana Ford and theMaryland Outdoor Show.

UNITED FOR Recovery: Community recovery day in Johnson Bayou.Cheniere, State Attorney General’s office, Red Cross, and the National Guard wereproviding resources and RTFC security provided free lunch for residents.

SEE SHELL by the Seashore! Ms. Joni and her Shell Oil crew prepared fried fish,chicken stew, and sides at the Tarpon Distribution site at Canik’s in Creole onWednesday, Oct. 7.

THE SCMH CLINIC tent is powered by a solar array provided by Tesla. Grand LakeCommunity Church has an identical array being used to provide food and supplies forresidents there. (Photo by Cyndi Sellers.)

Director Tanya N. Garfieldof the U.S. Small BusinessAdministration’s DisasterField Operations Center-Westreminded Louisiana privatenonprofit organizations of theNov. 4, deadline to apply foran SBA federal disaster loanfor property damage causedby Hurricane Laura thatoccurred Aug. 22-27, 2020.Private nonprofits that pro-vide essential services of agovernmental nature are eli-gible for assistance.

According to Garfield, eligi-ble private nonprofits of anysize may apply for SBA feder-al disaster loans of up to $2million to repair or replacedamaged or destroyed realestate, machinery and equip-ment, inventory and otherbusiness assets. SBA can alsolend additional funds to helpwith the cost of makingimprovements that protect,prevent or minimize the sametype of disaster damage fromoccurring in the future.

In addition, SBA offers

Economic Injury DisasterLoans to help eligible privatenonprofits meet working cap-ital needs caused by the dis-aster. Economic InjuryDisaster Loans may be usedto pay fixed debts, payroll,accounts payable and otherbills that cannot be paidbecause of the disaster’simpact. Economic injuryassistance is availableregardless of whether the pri-vate nonprofit suffered anyproperty damage. Privatenonprofits have until June 7,2021, to apply for an SBAEconomic Injury DisasterLoan.

These low-interest federaldisaster loans are available inAllen, Beauregard, Calcasieu,Cameron, Jefferson Davisand Vernon parishes.

The interest rate is 2.75percent with terms up to 30years. Loan amounts andterms are set by SBA andbased on each applicant’sfinancial condition.

Applicants may apply

By NIKKI GASKINS

Disaster survivors affectedby the severe winds andfloods from Hurricane Laura,can talk to a FEMAMitigation Specialist. Thesespecialists are available toprovide rebuilding tips, ques-tions about home repair, theimportance of flood insur-ance, making disaster plans,and building supply.

Survivors can contact aSpecialist at 866-579-0820,Monday through Saturday, 8a.m.-6 p.m., Central DaylightTime or via email at FEMA-M i t O u t r e a c h -4559@fema.dhs.gov

To access the free resourceguide “Repairing andRebuilding After a HurricaneMitigation Publications forYour Review and Use” clickon this link: https://fema.con-nectsolutions.com/lauramitfor helpful advice as yourepair and rebuild to makeyour home more resilient.

Follow FEMA online athttps://twitter.com/FEMARegion6, www.fema.gov/blog,

By NIKKI GASKINS

Due to severe weather,drive-thru Disaster RecoveryCenters (DRC) in Acadia,Beauregard, Calcasieu (LakeCharles and Sulphur), andCameron parishes beganclosed Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 1p.m.

Hurricane Laura survivorscan still register for FEMAassistance until Oct. 27, byvisitingdisasterassistance.gov or by calling the FEMAHelpline at 800-621-3362(TTY 800-462-7585) andthrough the FEMA MobileApp. To download text eitherANDROID or APPLE to43362.

To date, FEMA has putmore than $157 million in thehands of survivors, more than$107 million for housingassistance and $50 million forother needs assistance. So far,FEMA has registered 180,178households.

To date, 8,199 hurricanesurvivors are in shelters,3,782 are sheltering inLouisiana and Texas in hotelrooms.

To date, the U.S. Army

online, receive additional dis-aster assistance informationand download applications athttps://disasterloanassis-tance.sba.gov/. Applicantsmay also call SBA’s CustomerService Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercus-tomerservice@sba.gov formore information on SBA dis-aster assistance. Individualswho are deaf or hard of hear-ing may call 800-877-8339.Completed applicationsshould be mailed to U.S.Small BusinessAdministration, Processingand Disbursement Center,14925 Kingsport Road, FortWorth TX 76155.

Corps of Engineers (USACE)has installed 8,004 temporaryroofs.

To date, the U.S. SmallBusiness Administration(SBA) has approved morethan $243 million in lowinterest loans to helpLouisiana hurricane sur-vivors recover.

As of Oct. 6, the NationalFlood Insurance Program(NFIP) has paid nearly $12million to Louisiana resi-dents.

In October, when you com-plete a mammogram at WestCalcasieu Cameron Hospitalyou will receive a VeraBradley face mask.

WCCH offers 3D mammo-grams, breast MRI, breastultrasound, genetic testing,breast seed lumpectomy,breast health navigation, andbreast ultrasound/biopsy.

To schedule your appoint-ment, call 527-4256.

Deadline for SBA disasterloans is fast approaching

w w w. t w i t t e r. c o m / f e m a ,www.twitter.com/FEMAespanol, www.facebook.com/fema,www.facebook.com/FEMAespanol andwww.youtube.com/fema

Neighbors: Near and Far!

FEMA facts told for disaster survivors

WCCH offeringmammogramsand face masks

Rebuildsafe andstronger