VERMILION PARISH, La. ( KLFY ) — As Tropical Storm Francine continues to strengthen and aims to make landfall as a hurricane, officials say now is the time for residents to take the potential dangers seriously.

Homer Stelly the Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness for the parish said city officials and leaders are having meetings twice a day with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles to keep updated on developments with Tropical Storm Francine.

Sandbag Pickup Locations:

• Abbeville: 1811 Godchaux Street
• Kaplan: 412 South Herpin Street
• Erath: Erath City Hall – 115 West Edwards
• Gueydan: Gueydan Water Plant – 801 8th Street
• Delcambre: Old Car Wash at St Peter and Church Street
• Town of Maurice: Next door to the Police Station – 114 W Corrine St
• Non-city residents: (Outside City Limits) LSU AgCenter: 105 W Port St.

Bring a valid ID.

Stelly said it is a good idea for residents to get sandbags because they are used to prevent water from getting into homes.

“If you need them, go pick them up at the different locations in Vermilion Parish and I hope you pick them up for no reason. So hopefully we can stay safe during this hurricane,” Stelly said.

Stelly reminds citizens that no matter the strength of a hurricane, it still has the potential to cause damage.

“Just prepare to make sure that you take care of your family, your home, the animals, and everything. Get everybody out of harm’s way, because even though it’s a category one, they can still do a lot of damage to trees and power lines,” he said.

In case of needed evacuations on Tuesday and Wednesday, Stelly said there will be a holding area at Cecil Picard Elementary School. From there, they will be taken north.

He urges residents to pay attention to the local news. Officials’ social media accounts as information and updates will be shared. You can sign up for alerts by texting VERMILION to 77295 for RAVE alerts.

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