St. Mary Parish, LA — Severe weather that swept through St. Mary Parish on Wednesday morning left its mark, particularly at the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office in Morgan City. Strong winds ripped part of the roof from the building, scattering debris across the property and creating an immediate response from staff to mitigate the damage.
Lieutenant David Spencer, Public Information Officer for the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office, described the chaotic aftermath, noting that staff quickly sprang into action to address the situation. “Everybody was pushing water out, and getting debris up—it was all hands on deck,” Spencer said.
The structure, which dates back several decades, proved vulnerable to the fierce winds. “It’s an older building, and just like a lot of times when you get the strong winds, the trees that are problematic—not as strong—just like this old building that had an older roof on it… anything like that, that’s where you start to see the damage,” Spencer added. The damage was significant enough that debris from the roof was found scattered across an adjacent gym facility. Spencer pointed to a damaged section of the building, noting that the majority of the roof debris came from this particular structure, with some of it even blowing over and hanging off the gym’s other side.
While the sheriff’s office bore the brunt of the damage, the rest of St. Mary Parish experienced relatively minor effects. Deputies reported downed trees in areas like Amelia, but there were no major structural issues, and thankfully, no injuries were reported. “Our deputies started sending me images from around the parish of some trees that were down,” Spencer said. “We had some trees that were down in Amelia and some other places, but we haven’t seen anything, you know, as far as vehicles getting hit or houses getting hit. So that was good. Really, the worst that I know of is our own building.”
Despite the roof damage and debris scattered across the property, the sheriff’s office remained fully operational. Spencer emphasized that, despite the setback, the department’s work continued uninterrupted. Additionally, plans are underway for a new branch office in Centerville, which will consolidate the department’s criminal division and motorpool. The new facility is expected to open in approximately one to one and a half years.
For now, the sheriff’s office is focused on cleanup efforts and maintaining operations while looking ahead to its future relocation. Although the damage was significant for the Morgan City headquarters, the rest of St. Mary Parish appears to have avoided more severe consequences from the storm.
As the community recovers from the storm, the resilience of the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office serves as a testament to the preparedness and dedication of local law enforcement in the face of unexpected challenges.