Oklahoma Emergency Agencies Share Updates On Louisiana Hurricane Efforts

More than 150 first responders from Oklahoma went to Louisiana to help however they can after Hurricane Ida.  

Making their way from Bartlesville to Louisiana's Terrebonne Parrish, the Washington County Emergency Management team is hard at work helping animals impacted by Ida.  

The team shared pictures on Facebook, navigating roads covered in downed power lines, saying their crew helped fix generators at local animal shelters, and rescue stranded pets. They said they also helped fix generators at a courthouse and a jail.  

Further north in Monroe, Louisiana, the Wagoner County Emergency Management team said it opened a shelter and worked non-stop to check in 20 bus loads of people evacuating, welcoming them to a safe place.  

Before any law enforcement officers could get to work the Mayes County Emergency Management team said they had to be sworn in. A video posted on the MCEM Facebook page shows officers from GRDA, the Seneca and Quapaw tribes and Oklahoma Task Force One being sworn in.  

The Oklahoma City Fire Department said firefighters were asked to help with rescues in the middle of the night the other day and had to use chain saws to clear the road to get there, working alongside Virginia's Task Force Two, which was traveling with them. 

There are several more agencies from Oklahoma that made the trip to Louisiana, including the Oklahoma State Department of Health. OSDH said three employees are in Monroe, to help with patient care at a shelter.