TERREBONNE PARISH, La. — Taking lessons learned from Hurricane Ida, communities in Southern Terrebonne Parish now have a place to turn to for information this hurricane season.
It looks like an ordinary building on Shrimpers Row, but the hope is for it to be a lifeline to the bayou communities of Grand Calliou, Dulac and Chauvin.
“We have needed this for so long,” said Elder Chief Shirell Parfait-Dardar of the Grand Calliou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw. “We are ready, and we are available for people that need assistance now and throughout storm season.”
The new community outreach program office is to help people navigate hurricane season. Staffed with volunteers, residents can get information on everything from fortified roofing to food programs.
“Just having a central location where people can go that’s right in the community is so needed in every single community,” said Parfait-Dardar.
This community saw just how needed that was almost three years ago when Hurricane Ida destroyed parts of Southern Terrebonne.
“There’s still an incredible amount of need,” said Kristina Peterson with Rebuilding the Boot.
It’s a need that hasn’t always been easy to meet. That’s why local case workers will also be part of this resource office.
“Grand Calliou was hit very, very hard for Hurricane Ida and people are still reeling trying to get their lives back in order,” said District 7 Councilman Danny Babin.
Babin says an extremely active hurricane season predicted means parish leaders and non-profits must be proactive.
“You can’t save enough, if you will, in government to take care of the next disaster but you have to be aware what happened,” said Babin.
What happened was a month of no electricity or water. People stayed in tents and cars because they didn’t want to leave their property. Some folks are still rebuilding.
“This is the longest I’ve ever seen to have to recover after a disaster. Ida was a very strong storm. We’re used to water. We weren’t used to the wind,” said Parfait-Dardar.
By putting resources in these communities before they’re needed, the hope is to get folks prepared sooner and help them recover faster.
“We love this place, we love the people, we love this incredible culture and it’s ours to save and to keep and preserve,” said Peterson.
Parish leaders say when it comes to being prepared and making decisions about evacuations, do it in advance because you never know what the aftermath of a storm will look like.
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