SEWERAGE AND WATER BOARD

• S&WB has now repaired 27 percent of the force main system.


• Canal Street pumping station is operating at 50 percent of its capacity.

• Total water removed from gas system to date is approximately 3,345,500 gallons.


• Electric service is available to 96 percent of customers.


• Gas service is available to 90 percent of customers.

• Customers can call BellSouth at (888) 757-6500 to retain their numbers for 12 months.

• The call center received 1,976 calls in the past 48 hours.


• The top three subjects were miscellaneous requests, phone number requests and sanitation requests.

• Waste Management has revised the collection days/routes for more efficient collection of garbage.


• Residents in areas were USACoE is no longer making passes should call 311 to schedule a Hot Spot Request for storm debris pick-up.


• 1,203 units of white goods were collected in the last 24 hours for a total of 553,350 units to date.


• The crews removed 23,911 cubic yards of debris from curbsides on March 25, 2006 for a total of 7,500,374 to date.


• 29,087 units of household hazardous waste were removed in the past 24 hours for a total of 1,520,692 units to date.


• Storm debris removal is 59.5 percent complete. This does not include debris from structural debris.


• Drop-off site at 2301 Hendee Court is open exclusively to Orleans Parish residents from 8 a.m.- 5:30 p.m., Wednesday - Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.


• 1,466,006 household hazardous containers have been collected to date.


• For missed collections, residents can call Waste Management at (504) 254-5353.


• Residents can call the City of New Orleans Information Hotline (311) at (504) 658-2299 for information about garbage collection days.

• Army Core of Engineers needs an additional six million dollars in Levee repair funds in order for the levees to be certified for flood insurance.


• 20,070 cubic yards of woody and construction and demolition waste were collected in the past 24 hours for a total of 7,669,715 cubic yards to date by USACoE.


• 1,062 units of white goods were collected in the past 24 hours for a total of 553,350 units to date.

• Department of Parks and Parkways is offering to spray residents’ individual oaks for $55 per tree.

• This February, the Metropolitan Human Service District treated a total of 1126 clients at its three clinics.


• Operation Blessing, in collaboration with International Medical Alliance, has opened a modular medical facility in New Orleans East, at 5501 Read Boulevard. In the next two months, Operation Blessing will expand this facility.


• Spirit of Charity Hospital has moved to and reopened at Lord and Taylor at the New Orleans Centre.


• The Metropolitan Human Service District is currently operating three clinics: Central City Clinic at 2221 St. Phillip Street, Charters Pontchartrain Clinic at 719 Elysian Fields Avenue and the Plaquemines Parish Clinic at 3708 Main Street in Belle Chase. Assistance with developmental disabilities is available at 1010 Common Street. Integrated services continue to be offered at the Covenant House, Algiers Fischer Clinic and Ida Hymel Clinic. Clinics offer mental health assessment and treatment, addictive disorder assessment and treatment and developmental disability services.

• A total of 301 traffic signals of 458 in the city are operational.


• A total of 11,162 vehicles has been towed to date.

• NORTA announced that ridership has surpassed 23,000.


• Streetcar service to all of Canal Street resumed yesterday.


• NORTA’s free service will be running until June 30, 2006.


• NORTA is preparing a five-year recovery plan.


• All buses are accessible to the disabled and there is no fee to ride. Please visit www.norta.com for route schedules and the current system map.

• Effective May 2, 2006, Northwest Airlines will add one roundtrip flight daily to Detroit and one roundtrip flight daily to Minneapolis. Both flights are early morning departures.


• Effective June 10, 2006, Southwest Airlines will add one flight daily to the following airports: Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Baltimore, Chicago Midway and Houston Hobby.

• Residents should call (504) 585-2400 to report overflowing fire hydrants.


• Residents should call (504) 529-2387 to report broken water mains.

• Free online permitting has been extended from March 31, 2006, to June 30, 2006.


• $81 million has now been allocated to the city of New Orleans out of the initial $102 million.


• A total of 2,118 businesses have reopened to date.


• Louisiana residents and displaced evacuees who are unemployed because of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have been granted an additional 13 weeks to receive disaster unemployment assistance (DUA). President Bush signed Bill 1777 on March 6, 2006, which extends the benefit period for nearly 400,000 individuals nationwide to continue to receive DUA payments. Benefits for individuals who were affected by Hurricane Katrina are extended to June 4, 2006 and to individuals who were affected by Hurricane Rita until June 24, 2006.

• There were 92 inspections and 170 permits issued in the last 24 hours.

• 1,049 food establishments have reopened in Orleans Parish, representing 28.5 percent of pre-Katrina amount.


• In the region, a total of 2,573 food establishments have reopened, representing 36.5 percent of pre-Katrina amount.

• Construction is 34 percent complete in the Guste Housing Project and is expected to be complete by September 2006.


• Construction is almost 81 percent complete in the Fischer I Housing Project, and almost 47 percent complete in the Fischer III Housing Project. Construction is expected to be complete by July 2006.


• In the Iberville Housing Development, 759 units have been cleaned and repaired, 192 units cannot be re-occupied to storm and roofing problems and 70 units remain to be cleaned and prepped.


• HANO continues to contact residents of the Iberville Housing Development to notify them of building openings and to determine residents anticipated return dates and whether or not assistance is needed in returning to New Orleans. HANO continues to meet with Iberville Management twice a week to update and verify move-ins, client contact information and ascertain whether or not assistance is needed.


• Approximately 173 families have returned to the Iberville Housing Development.


• A total of 517 people were seen in the Section 8 Housing office this week and 82 vouchers were issued.


• A total of 1,073 public housing units have been inspected to date.


• A total of 1,232 families have been leased public housing units to date.


• A total of 852 families have returned to Iberville, Guste, Fischer and River Garden sites.

• The Louisiana Department of Education held registration for Banneker Elementary, Craig Elementary and Clark Senior High School today. These three schools will open April 18, 2006.


• Joseph A. Craig and Benjamin Banneker Elementary Schools will each serve approximately 400 students from pre-kindergarten to grade eight. Joseph S. Clark Senior High School will serve approximately 500 students from grade nine to grade 12.


• To enroll, parents need to bring copies of the following documents: proof of address (such as a utility bill or governmental mail), social security card, birth certificate and immunization records. If applicable, Individualized Education Program (IEP) documentation is needed. If any of these records have been destroyed or are unavailable, there will be staff on site to assist in applying for new copies of these documents.


• Currently, there are 21 available public schools in Orleans Parish.


• Visit www.nops.k12.la.us for the latest status of public schools in New Orleans.

• A total of 8,192 travel trailers on individual sites are occupied.


• FEMA has awarded a total of $2.1 billion in individual assistance to date.


• FEMA will hold a public workshop regarding the National Flood Insurance Program on May 3, 2006, at 5 p.m. Location will be announced.


• Residents requiring trailer maintenance in zip codes 70122, 70124, 70126, 70127, 70128 and 70129 should call toll-free (866) 360-6432.


• Residents requiring trailer maintenance in zip codes 70112, 70113, 70115, 70116, 70117, 70118, 70119, 70122, 70124, 70125 and 70130 should call toll-free (866) 903-7429.


• Residents requiring trailer maintenance in zip codes 70114, 70117 and 70131 should call toll-free (800) 774-3249.


• For any other inquiries call the FEMA Trailer Hotline at (888) 294-2822 or the FEMA Helpline at (800) 621-3362.


• Hurricane evacuees who were provided with a travel trailer or mobile home and no longer need it should call FEMA and make arrangements for it to be picked up. Residents should call FEMA at (888) 294-2822 when they are ready to vacate the unit.


• 1,064 travel trailers on group sites are occupied.


• FEMA announced that the new deadline for individual assistance is April 10, 2006. Homeowners, renters and business owners who sustained damage from the hurricanes can apply by calling the FEMA registration number, (800) 621- 3362, TTY (800) 462-7585 or online at www.fema.gov.


• FEMA is taking efforts to ensure that all residents staying in hotels contracted by FEMA have places to go following contract expiration.

For more information, please contact the Mayor's Press Office at (504) 658-4940.