Louisiana GOHSEP Director discusses Louisiana assisting states affected by hurricanes

Louisiana crews have been redeployed to Florida after assisting in the Carolinas with Hurricane Helene. Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Jacques Thibodeaux emphasized the state’s substantial presence in Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

“We’ve been in five states from the beginning.  So right now in Florida alone, we’ve got almost a thousand people from the State Fire Marshal Office to Louisiana Nation Guard, and a team of GOHSEP that’s in Florida right now that’s helping them with the recovery,” Thibodeaux said.

Thibodeaux says Louisiana’s emergency teams are well-equipped for these out-of-state missions, offering services like search and rescue, law enforcement support, emergency operations management, and debris management.

“We even have a team of subject matter experts that are helping with the volunteer effort in Florida,” he said.

Despite aiding other states, Louisiana’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Francine remains unaffected. With hurricane season continuing until November 30, Thibodeaux urges Gulf Coast residents to stay prepared for future storms and asks those able to volunteer or help people affected by these storms.

“You can go to the GOHSEP website, and we talk about how to volunteer, how to send donations to that area. The biggest thing you can do is give them your thoughts and your prayers,” said Thibodeaux.