Nine Lake Charles Police officers arrived in Thibodaux shortly before noon Friday to provide relief for officers who have worked nonstop since the Category 4 Hurricane Ida made landfall Sunday in Southeast Louisiana.

Chief Shawn Caldwell said Thibodaux Police Chief Bryan Zeringue requested help after the storm. Two corporals, one lieutenant and six sergeants were sent to Thibodaux, where they will spend five to seven days before reassessing any remaining needs.

“They’re not going to clear roads and remove trees,” Cadwell said. “They’re there to do law enforcement tasks because officers in Thibodaux have homes and things to take care of. We’re there to let them rest and tend to their personal affairs, whether it’s putting up a blue tarp on their house, drying up their house or emptying freezers.”

Caldwell said his officers were able to locate a safe place to spend the next several days.

“It’s not comfortable, but they have a roof over their heads,” Caldwell said. “They’re sleeping on cots.”

Officers will be assisting with residents who are trying to get fuel, Caldwell said. Currently, only one or two locations have fuel, with residents waiting hours in line to fuel up generators or their cars.

Sending local officers to help after Hurricane Ida is a way to return the favor that other law enforcement agencies provided after Hurricane Laura’s devastating impact to Southwest Louisiana in August 2020, Caldwell said

“Morgan City came and cooked for us,” he said. “Franklin delivered a trailer of water and other goods we needed. Hopefully, we never need them again on this side.”

More than one year after the Category 4 Laura made landfall, Caldwell said the Lake Charles Police Department is still recovering. He said the storm essentially destroyed the detective annex, SWAT building and some satellite offices. The detective, traffic and records divisions are in temporary office buildings on the side of the department’s headquarters on Enterprise Boulevard.

“We are still packed like sardines, if you will, but we are doing our jobs,” Caldwell said. “We are here for the citizens of Lake Charles.”

Caldwell said Zeringue sounded to be in good spirits after communicating with him recently.