Parish official plans for the unusual events

Things like well blowouts, train derailments and grain elevator fires are all in a day’s work for St. Landry Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Lisa Vidrine. 
“I was at a well blowout in Cankton until 2 this morning and then there was a fire at a grain elevator Opelousas first thing this morning,” Vidrine said as she spoke to the Eunice Rotary Club. “I got three hours of sleep last night.”
Vidrine has been the St. Landry Parish Emergency Preparedness director since 2005, and in her first year on the job, she helped guide the parish during the response to Hurricanes Rita and Kartrina. 
“The office is trained to respond to natural disasters, terrorist threats and manmade events like incidents on the interstate and train derailment,” she said. “The train derailment in Lawtell was one of the most recent such events.”  
The office works with state, local and federal first responders and social service network agencies in the event of an emergency and helps to support  municipalities during emergency events. The Office of Emergency Preparedness is located in the parish’s 911 Center on outskirts of Opelousas. 
“It’s a fairly new facility, and we have lots of new technology,” Vidrine added.  
The director gave the club members a brief overview of the parish’s condensed emergency operation plan. 
“The actual plan is about this big,” Vidrine said, laughing as she gestured a 2-foot gap with her hands. “It lists the jobs, support functions and responsibilities in the parishes. I’ve read it and rewritten it.”
Vidrine serves as the state’s Region 4 director of emergency preparedness, and she and the other eight directors from around the state met with the governor’s office of emergency preparedness recently.  
“In the event that we have another hurricane, it will be more difficult to respond to,” she said. “We are out of practice, and there lots of new people in office. We are not as well versed in our response, and we hope public will take heed if a hurricane heads our way.”
To contact Claudette Olivier, email claudette.oliver@eunicetoday.com.