Harlan Kirgan
Hurricane Laura has driven traffic to Eunice because in many cases this is the first place with fuel, food and housing.
Eunice Police Chief Randy Fontenot said there has been an increase in wrecks on private property, primarily at gas stations and on parking lots.
“Good defensive drivers” are helping keep wrecks on public streets to a minimum, he said.
There has been no increase in crime — “nothing out of the ordinary,” he said.
Lines at gas stations have been added to the lines that were already present at drive-through food service windows, he said.
People from the west have been been seen filling up 50 gallon drums with fuel along with 5-gallon containers, he said.
On Saturday, Fontenot said he drove to Sulphur where he saw overturned railroad cars and 18-wheelers stacked on top of each other.
“I’ve never seen anything like that in my life,” he said.
Hurricane Lilli in 2002 was the worst storm he remembered in Eunice and it was nothing compared to what happened in western Louisiana with Laura, he said.
Fontenot said the state’s police chief association is building a list of officers available to assist in the storm-damaged areas, So far, Eunice has not sent any officers to help.
Fontenot noted the Eunice department is already operating shorthanded and on overtime.