Hurricane Harvey Louisiana: Lafayette Parish Schools Reopening

LAFAYETTE, LA — Students in Lafayette Parish public schools better dig out their textbooks from under their beds because schools will reopen on Thursday.

The school system, which closed Wednesday due to Tropical Storm Harvey, made the announcement on its website. Any student displaced by flooding will be eligible for homeless status if they are sharing housing with others, including those who are doubled-up with family members or are living in shelters, motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to lack of adequate accommodations, officials said.

These students will immediately be enrolled and given school uniforms. The school system will try to provide services for students with special needs even if student records aren't available. (For more information on Harvey and other Louisiana stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

"The Lafayette Parish School System stands ready to take in any students displaced by Tropical Storm Harvey," officials said.

The National Weather Service on Wednesday morning canceled a flood warning for the Bayou Vermilion, near Carencro, but kept an indefinite flood warning for the Vermilion River at Lafayette. Officials project the river will continue rising to nearly 12 feet by Wednesday evening, then begin falling. Beaver Park, Vermilionville and Heymann Park will flood, the agency said.

The National Weather Service said Harvey is weakening, though flood rains continue over southwestern Louisiana. A flash flood warning was extended until 8:15 p.m. (Central) time for western Beauregard Parish, western Calcasieu Parish and Vernon Parish.

Lafayette Parish Schools Open Thursday, August 31

Lafayette Parish public schools and offices will be open on... https://t.co/MFn564Bjcc
— Lafayette Parish SS (@LafParishSchool) August 30, 2017

Additional rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches are possible across southwestern Louisiana, with 3 to 6 inches possible across central and south central Louisiana.

The storm is currently about 60 miles north of Cameron. Officials expect Harvey will leave central Louisiana Wednesday night and move into the Lower Mississippi Valley through Thursday.

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