Pearl River lucky, Lavigne says

By Anne Lautzenheiser
St. Tammany News
Published on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 4:50 PM CDT



Pearl River Mayor James Lavigne said he slept a lot better Tuesday night than he did Monday.

"We stayed at the Town Hall the last couple of nights because we were nervous about that storm," said Lavigne of his town'€™s preparations for Hurricane Gustav. "It sure was good to go back home."

Lavigne said the town suffered minimal effects from the storm. Four utility poles connected to the town's sewer system were damaged, but he expected full repairs to have been completed by day'€™s end. While some residents have some downed trees and debris in their yards, roadways remained mostly clear of major tree damage.

There was no major flooding of the Pearl River or its tributaries in the area, only some high water that receded quickly.

Lavigne was pleased with the cooperation of business owners and residents, such as Steve Fricke, general manager of Jubilee Supermarket at Louisiana Highway 41 and U.S. Highway 11.

The store stayed open until the last possible minute so residents could purchase emergency generators and other storm supplies. Fricke also reopened the store for a few hours on Tuesday afternoon so residents and storm workers could purchase necessary items.

A few fast-food restaurants have already reopened as well, including Sonic and Hickory Café.

"We were really lucky," said Lavigne. "This is about as good as you could expect with a storm that size."


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