By Rita Shirley LeBleu

“This particular storm was tricky,” said Ashley Buller, assistant director of the Cameron Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness.

The tropical storm had a small window over the Gulf during which it could have intensified. It was such a small window in fact that even if the storm had increased in force, it would have been too late to call a mandatory evacuation, Buller explained.

She spoke to the Cameron Pilot by phone from the North Cameron Emergency Operations Center. A couple of weeks ago Cameron Parish celebrated its grand opening. Tuesday, Police Jury administrative operations were moved to the new site in Grand Lake. The OEP is housed in the multi-purpose center.

“We started a close watch in the early hours,” Buller said.

They were still monitoring Tuesday afternoon when Edouard made landfall near Johnson Bayou. There was concern about how storm surge might impact the highway and how the winds would affect thousands of RVs that serve as homes to the temporary workforce at Sabine Pass and Venture Global.

Buller said an advisory was issued early Tuesday for those who might want to seek an alternate location, get ahead of the straight line winds. After conditions deteriorate, it’s important to stay off the roads.

“If they don’t feel safe, even if we don’t call an evacuation, we make it clear that you should definitely go if you feel the need to go,” she said.

Andy Tingler, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service, confirmed winds of up to 55 mph with gusts to 70 mph.

“With the storm moving away, in Cameron it won’t be as severe there,” Tingler said.

Edouard hit the coast when the tide was low. Tingler said the tide was running about a foot and a-half below normal. He and Buller said this would help minimize storm surge moving over the roads and highway between Holly Beach and Johnson Bayou.

“Not that it hasn’t been rough,” Tingler said. “I’ve seen some pictures.

He said high tide would be between four and five and at that time there may be some splash up on the road.

On social media, there were reports of lost power.

Ben Hetzel, Jeff Davis Electric Co-op, said crews were already at work replacing a wooden pole on Hwy. 383 then heading to a leaning pole west of the substation. Metal structures were performing as designed.