Residents of Jefferson Parish, mark your calendars and prepare for the buzz overhead, as the East Bank is about to get a mosquito-targeting treatment from the skies. On the evening of June 24, the parish is smacking back at pesky mosquito threats with aerial spraying slated to commence around 8:30 p.m., provided the weather plays nice. In case Mother Nature decides otherwise, the backup plan swings into effect the next viable night. The focus will be on the swathes of South Kenner, River Ridge, and Harahan. For those with a keen ear, the sound of twin-engine planes might be the harbinger of fewer bites to come.
The operation is run by Vector Disease Control International (VDCI), and they're not winging it – they have a specialized guidance system to keep their mosquito control precise. The product being dispensed is on the EPA's good list, implying it’s suitable for where we live, play, and farm. And as modern as it gets, the planes are kitted with tech that reads the weather in real-time, calculating things like wind speed and direction, to decide where, and how the anti-mosquito potion is applied.
This airspace dance isn’t just a freestyle maneuver. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) makes a point of requiring public notice before an aerial spray show kicks off. If citizen concerns or curiosities are buzzing, Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs is on standby at 504-731-4612 to quell or enlighten.
For more detailed info on what’s happening in Jefferson Parish, citizens are directed to the official website at www.JeffParish.gov. There, or on the social media streams of the Parish – with tags like @JeffParishGov – updates flit freely to those subscribed. Or should pecking away at a phone keyboard be the preferred means of receiving the latest news, texting JPALERT or JPNOTICIAS to 888-777 will deliver the goods directly to mobile screens.
