Gov. Bobby Jindal declares state of emergency, closes state offices in north Louisiana

Gov. Bobby Jindal on Monday declared his fourth state of emergency for severe winter weather during the past five weeks. This time, Jindal was primarily concerned about north Louisiana, where a storm watch is in effect.

The governor has shuttered state offices in 19 parishes, mostly in the central and north parts of the state, for Tuesday. The parishes are Avoyelles, Bienville, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Rapides, Richland, Union, Vernon, Webster, and West Carroll.

The state of emergency relaxes certain state laws and rules so that response to the storm may be better coordinated. Louisiana’s most recent states of emergency, at the end of January, primarily affected the southern half of the state.