BATON ROUGE — At a Wednesday news conference, Gov. Jeff Landry said that he does not regret coming back from Washington, D.C. for President Donald Trump's inauguration earlier than anticipated to help manage the state's winter emergency, noting that the safety of the people of Louisiana is his first and primary concern as they endure a deep-freeze and several inches of snowfall.Landry, along with representatives from the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, said they have been continually monitoring freezing roads and other concerns during the winter weather event. Landry asked the state's citizens to wait the snow out one more day.Landry's updates were largely similar to statements he made during his Tuesday news conference on the weather, saying that he wants the public to be aware that the biggest threats to public safety during the freeze are fires caused by improper use of heaters and the extremely cold temperatures that will likely dip into the teens on Wednesday and Thursday night.The governor noted that two people were killed in a fire across the state, but did not provide a cause or location, saying the State Fire Marshal's Office would share information soon.State Climatologist Jay Grymes said that people need to prepare for the bitter cold over the next two to three days. Grymes also put things into perspective, saying that Tuesday gave the state the biggest snowstorm in over 100 years. He said that Wednesday morning's 7 degrees Fahrenheit temperature was the coldest Baton Rouge had seen in 100 years; the record low was 2 degrees in 1899."This is the most significant winter storm in south Louisiana('s history)," Grymes said, adding that Wednesday and Thursday's temperatures may also set records. DOTD head Joe Donahue said all of the state's priority routes are cleared except a section of Interstate 10 near Lake Charles that is still closed. He added that the state will soon begin treatment efforts from east-to-west on non-priority routes. State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges added that, while routes are beginning to clear, it is important to avoid unnecessary travel, noting it is everyone's responsibility to maintain public safety. Hodges said his troopers have responded to 100 calls, but all have been minor injuries and no fatalities have been reported.Landry ended the news conference by praising the efforts of Arkansas' emergency preparedness department, which helped supply Louisiana with adequate equipment to clear and treat roads in the snowstorm. "(We're)making tremendous progress," Landry said.Permalink| Comments