"We're still under a State of Emergency," Washington Parish President Toye Taylor said Thursday. "And that has ramifications on a lot of things. Communication is still unreliable. The fuel situation is shaky."
And Hurricane Rita was churning in the Gulf of Mexico as skies darkened and rain began to fall in the area..
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"And it's going to impact us in so many ways," Taylor said. "Federal resources, power resources may be re-directed."
As breezes on the outer edge of Rita blew through what's left of the local trees, many residents continued the struggle to get back to their feet after Hurricane Katrina.
Taylor said that, while he is generally not happy with the way things unfolded after Katrina, he is hopeful for the future.
"We have a great opportunity as a parish," said Taylor. "Some doors closed, but I think new ones will open. Where I'm focused now is on the future of the parish. We need to have things put in place to protect the quality of life, as we want it. We need to make decisions now."
He said he has met with representatives of the state department of agriculture and the department of economic development.
"We're thinking about where we need to be going, and then we'll put together a framework to build on," said Taylor.
Meanwhile, the parish alcohol ban and the curfew have been lifted, the burn ban is still in effect and a clean-up contract has been signed with IED, an Alabama-based company with local roots, he said.
The company was chosen because the owners retain a residence in Washington Parish and are expected to hire local workers, said Taylor.
"We felt they would best ensure that locals would not only get the work, but that they would be fairly compensated," said Taylor.
The contract includes the parish and all its municipalities except Franklinton, where the company is already at work, said Taylor. He said IED should begin picking up debris throughout the parish by early next week.
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