Nassau County deputies finish disaster tour in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida

LAKE CHARLES, La. — From Nassau County to St. Charles Parrish, Louisiana: When you get the call from the Florida State Emergency Management Office, you go.

Action News Jax checked in with some of the Nassau County deputies who are relieving St. Charles Parrish officers after Hurricane Ida.

”When we first arrived things were kind of horrific. There was obviously a lot of disaster,” Nassau County Sheriff’s Sergeant Lance McConnell said.

Sergeant McConnell and a team of deputies are wrapping up their two-week tour in St. Charles Parrish. It’s been more than three weeks since Hurricane Ida made landfall on August 29, yet the devastation remains.

”Power lines down. Roofs off houses. Debris everywhere. A lot of flooding,” McConnell said.

Some of the St. Charles Parrish officers had their own homes severely damaged in the category four storm.

”They have a lot of significant damage to their house. We’ve been assisting helping them. Just various tasks but it’s pretty intense every day,” McConnell said.

We asked McConnell what he sees driving around in St. Charles Parrish. He told us there are still a lot of broken power poles--he said he’s even seen roofs lying on the side of roads. He also said the team has met with a lot of kids while in Louisiana even sharing some selfies on social media with those they’re assisting.

”For the most part, their morale is there. They’re trying to stay strong. That’s the theme over here: stay strong.”

McConnell said their time in St. Charles Parrish is a bitter reminder to take hurricanes seriously.

Deputies are heading back to Nassau County on Saturday.

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