NEW ORLEANS – Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu called the 2016 Mardi Gras season a "huge success" and thanked the NOPD, public employees, Carnival krewes and the people of New Orleans for helping make it all possible.
“Mardi Gras is the single event that transmits the authenticity of New Orleans to the world,” said Mayor Landrieu. “We come together each year to do something better than anyone else and that is to celebrate the biggest free show on earth. This year’s Carnival was a huge success. Our Carnival krewes put on amazing shows, and I want thank the people of this great city for your cooperation and enthusiasm throughout Mardi Gras. I especially want to thank the hard-working men and women of the New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana State Police, New Orleans Fire Department, New Orleans Emergency Medical Services and all our federal, state and local partners who were all hands on deck throughout Carnival season.”
In total, about 4,500 dedicated public employees, over 1,000 Sewage & Water Board employees and 160 airport employees serve the people of New Orleans, many of whom directly or indirectly help with Mardi Gras festivities – working around the clock to plan, protect, execute and clean up.
Mayor Landrieu added, “There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into the joy that people see in the streets during Carnival. Mardi Gras is a team effort, but I want to especially thank the employees of the City of New Orleans who kept our parade routes safe and clean. We began the 2016 Carnival season expecting challenges with traffic and construction, but we had good plans in place and the public was cooperative and patient. The success of Mardi Gras also largely depends on the City returning the streets to normalcy and cleanliness as soon as possible, so I thank the people of New Orleans for their cooperation.”
In the coming days, the cleanup effort will continue as parade viewing stands and public portable toilets are removed.
SAFETY – POLICE
City reps said the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) provided strong security coverage during the 2016 Carnival season, from Jan. 29 to Feb. 9. Every officer was on duty and working, with a majority of officers either putting in 12-hour shifts in a police district or a minimum of 8-hour shifts along the parade route. During the 12-day period, NOPD put in a total of 53,894 manpower hours this year compared to 50,334 manpower hours in 2015.
NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison said, "Our officers put in long hours over the past 12 days and did an outstanding job of ensuring the safety of our residents and visitors along the parade route and across the city. With the help of our local, state and federal partners, we executed a strong security plan that led to a safe and successful Carnival season. I want to thank the people of New Orleans and the tens of thousands of visitors that participated for their cooperation during this joyous time for our city.”
NOPD was complemented by 170 Louisiana State Police Troopers, along with members of partners law enforcement agencies, including: Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, Tulane University Police, Louisiana Department of Corrections, St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Tammany Parish Sherriff’s Office, FBI New Orleans, State Fire Marshal, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.
In total, the NOPD made 334 arrests in the Eighth District and along the parade route compared to 443 during the 2016 Mardi Gras season. In the NOPD Eighth District alone, which includes the French Quarter, Marigny and Central Business District, officers responded to approximately 3,119 calls for service and made 275 arrests, compared to 3,243 calls for service and 350 arrests during the Mardi Gras 2015 season. The arrest numbers in the Eighth District represent a continued decline in the number of arrests made in the past four years during the Carnival season thanks to strong police presence and cooperation from the public. In addition, solid police work and proactive patrolling led police to make a total of 26 gun arrests and take a total of 30 guns off the streets.
SAFETY – FIRE & EMS
City reps said the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) responded to 65 fire and 679 medical calls for service during the Mardi Gras season including 9 working structure fires. The NOFD also inspected 33 parades, which included: 819 traditional floats, 175 truck floats and 312 parade flambeauxes. The department also inspected 113 mobile food vendors for compliance. NOFD members worked alongside Sanitation Department personnel, providing traffic safety during post-parade debris removal. NOFD also created a barricade group to manage the positioning and removal of barricades before and after parades.
New Orleans EMS responded to over 2250 emergency service calls, resulting in a call every 6 minutes. In conjunction with the New Orleans Health Department (NOHD) Medical Reserve Corps, they also operated First Aid stations over six days and provided foot patrols during parades. In total, NOHD assisted 296 people and provided care to 54 people during Mardi Gras, 8 of which were transported by EMS.
SANITATION
City reps said for the 2016 Mardi Gras season, the Department of Sanitation utilized over 100 pieces of equipment and more than 600 City workers, temporary workers, and contractors to clean up the streets and neutral grounds following parades each day. All of these laborers worked tremendously hard to return the city streets to normalcy. In general, all routes were cleaned within two hours of the conclusion of a parade.
For the third consecutive year, the City used Mardi Gras clean-up to provide employment opportunities for ex-offenders and the chronically hard to employ. In 2014, the City made up to 50 clean-up jobs available for these groups per parade night. Now, three years later, the City tripled the program, making up to 150 jobs available per night in the 2016 season. In addition to the jobs for the Carnival season, participants received training in how to search for a job and workplace expectations.
Ava Rogers, the City’s Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Operations, said, “The City’s Sanitation Department and its partners, did an outstanding job coordinating one of the best and quickest cleanup operations yet. We are particularly proud of our partnership with JOB1 and NOLA for Life service providers. Our cleaning crews work very long nights to take on an incredibly challenging task. Their dedication to the people of New Orleans is commendable, and we sincerely thank them for what they do.”
The total tonnage of debris cleared off the streets during Mardi Gras will be announced once it is totaled. The City also no longer views success by tonnage of debris collected, especially as the City continues to promote recycling. Residents may bring Mardi Gras beads for recycling to the City’s Sanitation Yard, located at 2829 Elysian Fields Ave., on Feb. 13, 2016, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. There are also several local non-profits that accept Mardi Gras beads for recycling.
OPERATIONS
The City placed 650 portable toilets along the parade routes for Mardi Gras this year, and they are scheduled to be removed by Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. The City also issued over 180 permits for reviewing stands, concessions and parking. All City-constructed viewing stands will be fully disassembled by Friday, Feb. 22, 2016.
To keep residents and visitors fully informed this Mardi Gras season, the City once again utilized a Mardi Gras Information and Updates website. The site provided residents and visitors with safety regulations, enforcement policies, permitting information, and helpful suggestions, including interactive parade maps. The website received nearly 9,000 views in the 30 days before Fat Tuesday.
PARKING ENFORCEMENT
In addition to permanent No Parking signs posted along parade routes, the City installed approximately 2,500 temporary No Parking signs. The City monitored parking very closely so that First Responders and the public had clear access to the public right of way and to facilitate the clearing of debris by Sanitation crews following parades.
This year, the City issued 37,077 citations, booted 301 vehicles and towed 541 vehicles on parade days. In 2015, the City issued 22,475 citations, booted 553 vehicles and towed 799 vehicles on parade days.
AIRPORT
Over the Mardi Gras holiday, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport saw a seven-year high number of passengers traveling through the airport. Over an eight-day period beginning Friday, Feb. 5 through Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, the airport expects to have over 142,000 passengers depart, a 2.3 percent increase over 2015 and a 40 percent increase over 2010. Over 18,000 passengers were scheduled to depart New Orleans on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, as the Mardi Gras season comes to a close.
