Curfew ended in EBR; 20 arrested for breaking it Wednesday

No curfew will be imposed tonight in East Baton Rouge Parish, says Mayor Kip Holden, as city-parish officials see no need to extend the safety precaution now that Isaac has passed and power has begun to be restored. Chief Administrative Officer William Daniel says 20 offenders were arrested Wednesday night for violating the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. Two of those offenders were also booked on related felony charges, Daniel says. “We only had one reported incident of looting in the city, from the Baton Rouge Police Department, which resulted in the apprehension and booking of five individuals,” Daniel says. Speaking at a press conference this morning at the Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Holden says Isaac was downgraded to a tropical storm as it made its way to Alexandria today. However, rain bands will persist today and possibly through tonight, the mayor says. David Guillory, interim director of the Department of Public Works, says the city-parish is working jointly with utility companies to bring power back to the area. “Because of technology, and a lesson learned with [Hurricane] Gustav, we are seeing a much faster response time with all utilities,” Guillory says. Guillory says 22 road-clearing crews are dealing with the 100 street blockages that were reported in the area, while other crews work to power sewer pumping stations—there are 70—with generators if they have no electricity. “If you do experience sewer backups, please call 311,” Guillory says. He notes that more than 50% of the city’s traffic lights are not working, but most should be back online by tonight or Friday. —Adam Pearson