Hurricane Ida turned eastward and missed the town of Jonesboro but managed to do a lot of damage to LaPlace, New Orleans, Mississippi, and other areas in the northeastern part of the United States. Since the town of Jonesboro was spared Chief J. Spike Harris decided that we should send officers to assist in those areas that was devastated by Ida.

Chief Harris could only afford to send two officers to represent the Jonesboro Police Department. Those two officers are Assistant Chief Ciera Murphy and Officer Warren Johnson. They are both a part of the recovery effort and assigned to a task force. They are performing 24-hour security duty at the Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. Both officers have stated that the entire area from LaPlace to New Orleans has been devastated by Ida and simple day to day items such as fuel, food, and other necessities are sometimes difficult to come by.

Chief Harris stated that he is proud of both officers and only wish that he could have sent more but we still have to provide services to the town of Jonesboro. Chief Harris also stated that this is hurricane season and that we should all make preparations in advance just in case we have another storm in the near future. Last year we had two hurricanes and a snowstorm to hit Louisiana and caused a lot of damage to which some people are still recovering. Please be safe and plan ahead!