HOUMA, La. —
Southland Mall in Houma has been given the all-clear after a bomb scare Saturday afternoon. The entire mall was evacuated and closed down hours early.
At 3:39 p.m, The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that deputies were “actively investigating” the situation. A spokesperson confirmed that a bomb threat had been sent that day but declined to comment on the method by which it was delivered or whether other businesses had received similar ones.
An hour later, groups of employees were still huddled in the parking lot. Two told WWL-TV that they could not go home yet because deputies were still checking their cars. Tammy Pitre said she was checking out customers at Bath and Body Works when “all of a sudden someone from the front came and said we have to shut down.” Everyone was told to leave immediately.
Pitre has worked at Southland Mall for more than 15 years and said “we’ve never had anything like this here.”
Even after the building was found to be safe, the mall remained closed, with the exception of the Dillard’s store. A law enforcement officer at the scene said that decision came from mall management. On a normal Saturday it would be open until 8.
Besides the hours of weekend business lost, the bomb scare rattled employees. “It just makes you more cautious, you know?” said Pitre.
The Sheriff’s Office says the mall will be safe to open Sunday.
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