Baton Rouge, La – December 22, 2022 – East Baton Rouge Parish is under a Hard Freeze Warning beginning tonight at 9:00 p.m. until Sunday, December 25, at 9:00 a.m. Wind Chill Advisory beginning at midnight Friday, December 23, through Saturday, December 24 at 10:00 a.m.

Warming centers are on standby should there be widespread power outages, which is not anticipated at this time.

The public is encouraged to prepare their homes and families, monitor local weather reports, and make a plan to be indoors during the freezing weather.

“Do not get caught off guard by the cold weather. The most important thing to do is stay alert, stay calm, and have a plan to stay warm when the temperatures drop,” says Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. “City-Parish is ready to respond, please be ready as well. Make sure you have a plan to be inside a warm structure during cold weather, and practice fire and carbon monoxide safety.”

Preparedness Tips

• Dress in layers to keep yourself warm.
• Keep your pets warm and dry, and indoors whenever possible.
• Protect, cover, or wrap your pipes.
• Cover or bring your plants inside.
• Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups.
• Keep all combustible items at least 3 feet away from any heat source.
• If you are using space heaters, do not leave them unattended and never cover them.
• If your space heater has a damaged electrical cord or produces sparks, do not use it.
• Do not use a stove or oven to heat your home.
• Stay informed of the latest weather conditions. Watch your local news outlets on TV, listen to them on the radio, or follow them on social media. You can also follow Red Stick Ready for up-to-date information.

Visit brla.gov/emergency for the latest closures and emergency information in East Baton Rouge Parish.

• Call 211 for local resources like mental health needs. You can also text 211 at 898-211.
• Call 311 for public works requests.
• Call 511 for State road closures.
• Call 911 for emergencies only.

Current Shelters

Our community shelter partners St. Vincent de Paul and The Salvation Army have activated their cold weather plans and extended their hours and bed capacity.

St. Vincent de Paul

1623 Convention Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Individuals may also call 225-383-7837, ext. 0 for information — however, beds cannot be reserved except for in-person requests.

Salvation Army Men's Shelter

7361 Airline Highway
Baton Rouge, LA 70805

Individuals may also call 225-355-4483 to check on bed availability.

Warming Centers on Standby

In case of large-scale power outages where citizens cannot heat their homes for an extended period of time, causing life safety issues, warming centers are on standby at numerous community centers and other locations around the Parish, ready to open and respond during this freezing weather event. An announcement will be made through the media and social media if the need arises to activate the warming centers.

Report power outages to your local provider.

Entergy: 1-800-9Outage (1-800-968-8243)

DEMCO: 1-844-MyDEMCO (1-844-693-3626) 

Street Maintenance Preparations

City-Parish Department of Maintenance has a supply of 200 bags of rock salt and 680 gallons of brine stockpiled at the Plank Road facility. Another 350 bags of rock salt are on hand at the Valley Street facility. All maintenance lots have stockpiles of sand. 

Sand was applied to one local bridge Wednesday evening on West Mt. Pleasant Road in District 1. At this time, City-Parish does not anticipate deployment of sand and salt on bridges and roads because the forecast for this freeze event has not predicted heavy rainfall. Nevertheless, Department of Maintenance is prepared to respond to conditions if the weather pattern drastically changes.