Bossier Officials to Hold Flood Briefing Today at 3pm

As people wake up this morning and adjust their clocks to the proper time with Daylight Saving Time, the big question for folks, especially in Bossier is what's going on with the Red Chute and do we have school Monday? The Bossier Sheriff's Office and Bossier Schools wills hold a flood briefing today at 3pm to update citizens. Here's more from Bill Davis, Public Information Officer for the Bossier Sheriff's Office:

Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington and Bossier officials will hold a Bossier Flood Brief for media at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Viking Drive Substation. The media brief will be held in the front part of the substation and will follow a brief held with officials in the auditorium. We will stream the briefing live on the Bossier Sheriff's Office Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bossiersheriff or on Twitter (handle is @bossiersheriff).

During the news briefing, we will provide a general flood update and address the following issues:

* Status of Red Chute Bayou
* Status of Mandatory Evacuation Orders
* Status of Bossier Parish Schools
* How to Report Flood Damage
* Information on Public Assistance

NOTE ON RED CHUTE BAYOU AT DOGWOOD TRAIL. There has been an influx of traffic in that area while emergency responders are diligently working to shore up and monitor the levee. Bossier City has established an Incident Command Center at that location, and officials are asking media and the public not to park on either Dogwood Trail nor Stockwell Road in order to maintain safety during this active work area with ongoing emergency efforts. A media staging area has been established on the south side of Dogwood Trail, and officials there will coordinate with media to gather video or still coverage of the operations to keep safety a top priority. Please encourage people who don't need to be in the area to stay away for the safety of all concerned.

FEW FINAL THOUGHTS:

* Bill Parker with the National Weather Service said today that this flood event is an "extraordinary meteorological event" and is "one for the record books."

* Butch Ford, Parish Engineer with the Bossier Parish Police Jury, said today Lake Bistineau is at a record high.

* Sand bagging operations continue at the Benton and Bossier City locations. Two other locations, Koran Library and Elm Grove Elementary School, are self-serve locations for sand bags. Crews are working tirelessly to make sand bags.

* Salvation Army is the clearinghouse for food services. There has been a wave of support from the community and businesses, and that is amazing! They say they are in need of new socks and underwear primarily. Although appreciated, they are not looking for donations of used clothing at this point. They also need new clean-up items, packaged snacks and Gatorade-type drinks. Call 424-3200 to assist or make donations or go by their East Stoner location 9 - 4:30 during the week or 9 - 3 on the weekend.

* American Red Cross is operating the shelter at the Civic Center, and they are asking people not to bring any types of donations to the shelter. They are always looking for volunteers, though, and you can check out more on their website.

Our thoughts and prayers remain will all those affected by this week's disastrous flooding. If you're looking for ways to help, a great place to start is by visiting RedCross.org.