“Unnecessary” evacuation will go ahead in advance of Sunday’s Grand Palace Hotel implosion.
A few days after Iberville residents expressed concerns about staying in their homes a few blocks from Sunday’s planned Grand Palace Hotel implosion, the state of Louisiana responded by saying that it will send buses on Sunday morning to transport residents to a safe location.
The Iberville’s 400 households are not required to evacuate but “out of an abundance of caution,” officials announced on Thursday that they would transport residents with respiratory issues away from the complex on the morning of the implosion, said Christina Stephens, spokeswoman for the state’s Division of Administration. The state is in charge of the implosion, which clears the way for construction of the future University Medical Center.
Both state officials and their spokespeople had advised residents that they only needed to stuff towels under their doors, turn off their air conditioners and stay inside for 15 minutes before and after the implosion of the hotel, which was at one time known as the Claiborne Towers.
Read more here, or listen to our views on this belated climb-down below.
