New Orleans debuts new $7 million emergency warehouse
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The city recently bought a warehouse near the Superdome that serves as a centralizes storage space for public safety agencies. Photo: Carlie Kollath Wells/Axios
New Orleans officials have been busy this month showing reporters they are prepared for any emergencies from hurricanes to active shooters.
Why it matters: They are eager to prove they are ready to host the Super Bowl in February 2025, while also reassuring residents as we enter what is historically the busiest time for strong storms in the Gulf of Mexico.
The big picture: The city's top leaders have gathered twice recently to show off supplies used to respond to severe weather, criminal situations and other emergencies.
- Last week, the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, New Orleans Fire Department and New Orleans Emergency Medical Services toured reporters around their recently acquired supply warehouse on Earhart Boulevard.
- The city bought it for $7 million from a company owned by Mardi Gras World CEO Barry Kern, NOHSEP director Collin Arnold said.
- The groups are consolidating their emergency response supplies into the warehouse near the Caesars Superdome.
Zoom in: Think of it like a one-stop shopping destination for all the city's public safety gear.
- It has boats, high-water vehicles, mobile command units, medical supplies and more.
- It also houses the city's mass casualty vehicle that serves as an ambulance for up to 22 patients. It's at the ready for every Saints game.
- Agencies will be able to stockpile more supplies, officials said, and will save time since they no longer have to go to multiple facilities.
The new warehouse also has cots, MREs and water to distribute to medically vulnerable residents who can't evacuate, according to NOLA Ready spokeswoman Emma Skilbred.
Meanwhile, earlier in August, the New Orleans Police Department hosted reporters at its special operations center near Walmart on Tchoupitoulas Street.
- The tour included a look at "The Rook," a nearly $500,000 bulletproof vehicle law enforcement officers can be use in various situations, including approaching someone barricaded in a building. The previous option, NOPD said, was to send officers in with shields.
- The Rook arrived in New Orleans last month, NOPD said.
State of play: Officials are combatting some of the fears and concerns about the city — high crime, bad weather — by showing what they are doing.
- At the NOPD press conference, Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Chief Anne Kirkpatrick talked about the efforts being made in the city to reduce crime.
- While it is going down nationally, it's going down even more in New Orleans, they said.
