Pamela Sleezer

Vernon Parish School Board officials announced Friday that district schools will remain closed until further notice as the parish endures ongoing recovery efforts.

Superintendent James Williams released the information late Friday after school officials surveyed the damages to schools and communities following the impact of Hurricane Laura on Thursday.

“We had devastating damages to most of our schools and many will not only require repairs, but some areas will have to be rebuilt,” Williams said in a memo to stakeholders Friday.

Williams said much of the damage was done to building roofs, with some roofs structures needing to be replaced. He said cleanup and recovery efforts will begin “as soon as possible” by essential staff members.

“We ask that all of our families of both students and employees continue to help each other as we work together in this recovery process. Once we get electricity and water to our schools, the recovery process will intensify,” Williams said.

Many Vernon Parish roads remained impassable on Friday as authorities continued to work at clearing away downed trees and power lines. While Cleco officials reported that they had begun restoration efforts to bring power back to the area, officials could not give a firm timeframe of when full restoration could be feasible.

Cleco has reported over 55,000 members in the Beauregard and Vernon Parish areas remain without power, while BECi officials have reported nearly all of their 43,000 members have lost electricity.Vernon Parish School Board

Special to the American Press