The Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office issued the following release at 12:30 p.m. today.

VIDALIA — Following today’s announcement of the parish’s “Level 2” status for the 2011 Flood Evacuation Plan, Sheriff Randy Maxwell pointed out that this level still calls for area residents to pre-plan for the possibility of an evacuation, but it does not call for an evacuation of the parish — neither voluntary nor mandatory.

“We want everyone to prepare for that possibility, just like we’ve been advising for the past few weeks,” he said at mid-morning. “We surely want everyone to be prepared, just like South Louisiana residents prepare for hurricanes.”

The Sheriff noted that if an evacuation should be ordered, everyone will be notified by Code Red and the media.

He stressed too that persons who are bedridden or who have other major medical issues that may require assistance in the event of an evacuation should contact their local police departments or the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“Our office or their police departments need to know their vital information ahead of time — their names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., so we will know precisely how to contact them should an evacuation become necessary.”

“Planning and preparation are essential for everything to run smoothly,” Maxwell added. “All of our public agencies — state and local offices of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Corps of Engineers, the Louisiana National Guard, town officials from Ferriday and Vidalia, the Police Jury — are working together for the sake of public safety. We’re in constant contact with one another concerning the river stage and levee condition.”

“The media is helping us enormously in keeping everyone informed of the actual facts of this situation. We’re also keeping our website up-to-date,” he said.

The sheriff’s office website is www.concordiasheriff.org. To sign up for Code Red alerts, go to that website or call Concordia Communications at 318-336-5671 or the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-336-5231, 757-3162 or 386-2200.