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T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
HURRICANE
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W e d n e s d ay, O c t O b e r 29, 2025
MELISSA
Category 5 storm slams into Jamaica
Island suffers heavy flooding and wind damage
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No plan in place for finding new UL president UL Lafayette’s next campus Board taking begins under the best ‘strategic approach,’ leader conditions for long-term a spokesperson spokesperson says success,” said. “Interim President Jai-
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
Nearly three months after University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Joseph Savoie stepped down from his position, there is still no plan to search for his replacement. There are no next steps, nor is there a finalized timeline for finding a permanent leader for the school, a spokesperson for the University of Louisiana system, which oversees UL and seven other schools, told The Acadiana Advocate in an email. “The University of Louisiana System is taking a strategic approach to ensure
mie Hebert and his team are providing steady leadership and addressing key priorities, positioning the university for continued strength and stability. Details about future leadership plans will be shared publicly once finalized.” It’s a departure from the process other colleges in the University of Louisiana system have have used to conduct presidential searches in the past few years. At the University of Louisiana at Monroe, President Ron Barry stepped down in January. On Feb. 6, the UL system announced the school’s presidential search committee members and
ä See PRESIDENT, page 4A
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ä See JAMAICA, page 6A
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KINGSTON, Jamaica — Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled onto roads Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa came ashore as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported as Melissa hit with 185 mph winds near New Hope, with officials cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment could be slow. “There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.” Floodwaters trapped at least three families in their homes in the community of Black River in western Jamaica, and crews were unable to help them because of dangerous conditions, said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chair of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk
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Management Council. “Roofs were flying off,” he said. “We are hoping and praying that the situation will ease so that some attempt can be made to get to those persons.” He noted that extensive damage was reported in the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth, which he said “is underwater.” McKenzie said there are no confirmed reports of deaths and stressed that it was too early to talk about the extent of the damage because the hurricane — the strongest to hit the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago — was still pummeling the country. Rohan Brown, of Jamaica’s Meteorological Service, warned that as Melissa moves off the coast, its counterclockwise rotation will bring a heavy storm surge to northern Jamaica through the night. The storm is headed toward Cuba, where it was expected to make landfall as a major hurricane early Wednesday. Nearly 15,000 people were in shelters in Jamaica and some 540,000 customers, or 77%, were
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Waves splash in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa strikes the island on Tuesday.
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Mardi Gras krewes to return to Jefferson St. Parade route changes raise concerns BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer PHOTO PROVIDED By AMBER WILLIAMS
ä Louisiana newlyweds Stone Town
and Lexi Perkins traveled to Jamaica for their honeymoon but found themselves trapped on the island as Hurricane Melissa came ashore on Tuesday. Page 6A ä Few storms have formed in the Caribbean and Gulf this hurricane season. Page 9A
A change in the Lafayette Mardi Gras parade route announced Monday has raised questions and concerns from some in the community, including City Council member Kenneth Boudreaux. Mayor-President Monique Boulet announced in a news release that the Mardi Gras parade route followed by all
krewes will shift back to an older route used decades ago that primarily includes Jefferson Street and Johnston Street. For many years, the parades rolled through the heart of the city along Jefferson Street. But for at least the past 20 years, the route avoided Jefferson Street. The new route eliminates
ä See KREWES, page 4A
Governor urges rejection of $125 million bailout for N.O. State Bond Commission to consider measure
a $125 million bailout and called for a state administrator to manage the city’s finances, prompting city leaders to scramble to convince the state to chart a different course. The city needs the approval BY BLAKE PATERSON of the State Bond Commission Staff writer — which is scheduled to meet Gov. Jeff Landry on Tuesday Thursday — to sell $125 million in urged state leaders to reject cash- short-term revenue bonds, essenstrapped New Orleans’ request for tially payday loans for distressed
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governments. Officials hoped to use the money to make payroll through the end of the year, after Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration said last week that delays in federal grant payments threatened the city’s cash flow. The city is also looking for ways to plug a $160 million budget deficit. But Landry in a social media post Tuesday came out against the proposal and urged Republican lead-
ers in the state Legislature to join him. He also suggested appointing a fiscal administrator to oversee the city’s finances. The state committee responsible for making that recommendation is holding an emergency meeting Wednesday. “It is imperative that (New Orleans) address its financial matters promptly,” the governor said on X. He added that the Legislature’s
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Republicans, many of whom serve on the state Bond Commission, should “deny the city’s request to accumulate debt on the backs of its citizens.” Landry’s social media post kicked off a 48-hour sprint among New Orleans’ political leaders to convince state officials that they’re capable of managing the city’s
ä See BAILOUT, page 4A
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