NEW ORLEANS - In October of 2018, District "B" Councilmember Jay H. Banks kicked off the Catch Basin Challenge to engage both City employees and residents to work together and clean the front of catch basins in an interactive way. He began the challenge by nominating his fellow six Councilmembers to clean catch basins in their neighborhoods. Each Councilmember participated and nominated other State officials, neighbors, and friends to join in the challenge. Following last year's success. Councilmember Banks is excited to kick-off the challenge again for 2019.

"With June 1 being the first official day of Hurricane Season, this is an opportunity to engage the public and begin hurricane preparedness," said Councilmember Banks. "Simple steps, such as cleaning the front of a catch basin, can go a long way to help with flooding."

This year, Councilmember Banks will be cleaning catch basins and nominating Councilmembers Helena Moreno, Jason Williams, Kristin Gisleson Palmer, Jared Brossett, Joseph I. Giarrusso, III, Cyndi Nguyen; State Representatives Neil C. Abramson, John H. Bagneris, Dr. Joseph Bouie, Gary Carter, Jr., Royce Duplessis, Raymond E. Garofalo, Jr., Jimmy Harris, Stephanie Hilferty, Walt Leger, III, Christopher J. Leopold; State Senators Conrad Appel, Wesley T. Bishop, Troy A. Carter, Sr., Sharon Hewitt, Jean-Paul Morrell, Karen Carter Peterson; and Mayor LaToya Cantrell to clean a catch basin and nominate others to do the same.

The challenge is open to any members of the public who would like to participate and help clean local catch basins to reduce the risk of flooding in their neighborhoods.

Councilmember Banks continued, "We have to acknowledge that we all have a part to play in keeping New Orleans clean and dry, and this is a great opportunity for neighbors to engage and help the city in their own way."

The rules are simple:

1. Find a catch basin on your street, or a nearby street, where the front is covered by debris and/or dirt
2. Take a before picture of the catch basin
3. Clean the front of the catch basin
4. Take an after picture of the catch basin
5. When you post the pictures, nominate someone to do the same in their neighborhood, and use the hashtag #2019CatchBasinChallenge

After cleaning the front of a catch basin in your neighborhood, check to see if water drains properly after it rains. If the water still does not drain properly, Councilmember Banks encourages residents to report it to 311 via the phone or online at www.nola.gov/311.

You can also Adopt A Catch Basin and register it at catchbasin.nola.gov.

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Contact:

Matthew Schoenberger

Community Engagement Liaison

Councilmember Jay H. Banks, District "B"

Matthew.Schoenberger@nola.gov

(504) 658-1029