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The Airport Report

Section: Community

Sean C. Hunter

The Airport Report
By Sean C. Hunter
Director of Aviation
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Hurricane Preparedness at Armstrong International Airport

June 1 is the declared first day of the 2008 Hurricane Season. I hope you are reviewing your preparedness plan, should it be needed. A tremendous tool to help you develop your plan is the free Louisiana Citizen Awareness & Disaster Evacuation Guide. You can obtain a copy by calling the Louisiana State Police at 1-800-469-4828 or the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness at 1-225-925-7500. It is loaded with useful information and evacuation routes in the event you should have to leave the area, due to an impending storm or another type of disaster.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport prepares for many types of emergencies, including Tropical Storms and Hurricanes.

The Airport’s plan includes coordination with local, state and federal governmental officials; airlines; tenants and vendors who operate at the Airport. In the event of a severe storm category, Law Enforcement will be deployed to the Airport to ensure a secure environment. Armstrong International Airport operates on the same radio network as local law enforcement and has other state of the art communications equipment that can be deployed, if there is a loss of normal communication systems.

If a tropical storm or hurricane is approaching the New Orleans Metro area and River Parishes, the Airport will remain open for as long as flights continue to operate. While the time that airlines cease flight operations may vary, the last flight normally departs approximately 12 hours before tropical storm force winds hit the Louisiana coast. If you plan on traveling by air out of the region, plan early. If you are traveling with pets, check with your air carrier prior to coming to the airport. Please be aware that not all of the airlines allow pets and there are federal limits as to the number of pets allowed on each flight.

Also critical in the Airport’s Hurricane Plan, in concert with the surrounding region, is the restricted access to the Airport facilities. If you are traveling on a scheduled flight when a hurricane is approaching, please carry with you some form of flight confirmation. This can be an email flight confirmation, boarding pass or ticket receipt. If you do not have this documentation, it may delay your entrance to the Airport terminal. Also, for the latest information regarding your scheduled flight, refer to your airlines’ web site or reservations number or the Airport’s web site at www.flymsy.com.

Those who plan to participate in city or parish assisted evacuations should follow the directions of their city or parish and proceed to those designated pick up locations. It should also be noted that the Airport is not a shelter and no passengers or residents will be allowed to ride out a storm at the Airport. Should the call for evacuation come this season, please monitor your radio and/or television and follow the instructions given. It could save your life and the life of your loved ones.

We hope we have another hurricane-free season, but in the event a storm does pass our way, it is imperative that we be prepared to respond in a fashion that keeps us out of harm’s way. If you have not made evacuation plans for this year, do so immediately. Working together, we can assure our safety during times of crisis.

Sean Hunter can be reached at www.flymsy.com.

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