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Hurricane season has begun. Here's what to know in Terrebonne and Lafourche

Colin Campo
The Courier

With recovery from Hurricane Ida slow and incomplete for many people, temporary housing weighs heavily in official's hurricane season plans.

Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes recognize the vulnerability of those in temporary housing units, and officials are watching the severity of any incoming hurricane with the Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers and State-run Ida Shelter campers in mind. Beyond those special-case scenarios, both parishes have shelters and evacuation points lined up for the most at risk, and websites people can go for notifications on the government's plans, as well as detailed suggestions for evacuation strategies.

Officials say to remember to bring at least three days worth of medication, clothing, food and water. They also said to remember things like eye glasses and documentation in case hospitalization is needed.

"Make sure they have their medical insurance cards, Medicaid, and Medicare cards in the event that they need hospitalization," Terrebonne Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Earl Eues said. "And just the other necessities that they would need for at least 72 hours."

Ida Shelter resident Nathaniel Fournier cuts wood outside of his state-provided camper as hurricane season begins, June 1.

Temporary Housing

Following Hurricane Ida, many of those who lost everything where provided temporary housing in the form of campers through the State-run Ida Sheltering program or trailers through FEMA. They cannot withstand the high-speed gusts of hurricanes, Eues said.

Lafourche currently has 348 FEMA trailers throughout the parish and 429 Ida Shelter campers, according to Parish President Archie Chaisson. Terrebonne has 765 Ida Shelter campers, and 965 FEMA Trailers, according to Terrebonne Parish Planning and Zoning Director Christopher Pulaski.

As a rule, he said, those in Ida Shelters or FEMA trailers will be mandated to evacuate if a tropical storm or higher is headed to Terrebonne.

If a Category 3 Hurricane or higher is barreling on Terrebonne a mandatory evacuation of the entire parish will be enacted. The evacuation point is at H.L. Bourgeois High School, located at 1 Reservation Court in Gray. Residents who need transportation can either drive there or be picked up by buses throughout the parish’s major streets. Once there, residents and their pets will be entered into the parish’s evacuation registration system and bused to a Monroe shelter. No prior signup is required. 

If assistance getting to the pickup point is needed, register in advance with the Terrebonne Council on Aging at 868-8411. Residents are encouraged to take their pets with them during an evacuation. 

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Lafourche Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is taking a wait-and-see approach. Director Chris Boudreaux said every storm is different, and the parish will make calls as they collect information on the weather and coordinate with state entities. Like Terrebonne, Boudreaux expects to air on the side of caution with temporary housing still in effect.

"We may be asking for shelters a lot sooner than normal for a tropical storm," he said. "Before Ida a house or whatever could probably take it but since these trailers can only take a 60 to 80 mile-an-hour wind load, we may have to open shelters in the parish."

If evacuation is called for, the main pickup point in Lafourche is Thibodaux High School. Boudreaux said there will point-to-point transportation from local high schools within the area. Buses will ferry people from those high schools to Thibodaux High, and from there to a shelter in Monroe.

Real time notifications

Both parishes will be pushing out notifications in real time through their respective webpages listed below, and are discussing with local radio channels about broadcasting the information.

The Lafourche Parish Government has a Facebook page, twitter.com/lafourchegov, as well as their main website. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office provides an app with push notifications as well and it can be downloaded here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myocv.lafourcheparishlasheriffsoffice&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1.

Terrebonne Parish will send out notifications through their Facebook page, Twitter account, their cellphone app, and the Office's main website. Information will also be available on the Facebook pages of Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, Houma Police, the Terrebonne Sheriff’s Office and Terrebonne 911.

Important locations

For hurricanes stronger than Category 3, Lafourche may open shelters at any of these locations:

  • Central Lafourche High, 4820 La. 1, Raceland.
  • Thibodaux High, 1355 Tiger Drive, Thibodaux.
  • Raceland Recreation Center, 241 Recreation Drive.
  •  Lockport Recreation Center, 5610 LA-1, Lockport.

Terrebonne's potential shelter sites are listed below:

  • Dumas Auditorium, 301 W Tunnel Blvd, Houma.
  • Houma Municipal Auditorium, 880 Verret St, Houma.
  • and recreation gyms throughout the parish