It’s Never too Early for Hurricane Preparedness

The 2013 Hurricane Season begins on June 1st and it’s never too early for you and your family to get prepared. Early preparation is easy and can considerably reduce stress when a hurricane is approaching. Residents can rest assured in knowing that Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government has a plan to respond to such emergencies, but it is very important for families to have a plan as well.

As part of our hurricane preparedness plan we have established a point to point sheltering agreement with the City of Monroe, Louisiana. The point to point evacuation concept removes a great deal of uncertainty during a time of crisis. When an evacuation is ordered, Good Earth Transit and Council on Aging buses will provide transportation for residents to H.L. Bourgeois High School. Once residents are delivered to H.L. Bourgeois, they will be transported to the Monroe Civic Center. This shelter will be open for Terrebonne Parish residents regardless if one drives to Monroe or if they are transported there via buses. I would also like to remind our elderly and special needs residents to contact the Terrebonne Parish Council on Aging at (985) 868-8411 to pre-register for transportation assistance.
In the event of a tropical storm or category 1 or 2 hurricanes, we will open shelters in Terrebonne Parish. Those seeking refuge in these shelters are urged to bring enough food, water, medicine, bedding, and baby supplies for the first 72 hours. With this in mind, we like to remind everyone that “The first 72 is on you!”

Our parish website, www.tpcg.org, provides information to keep our residents informed during a hurricane or other events. In fact, www.tpcg.org contains helpful links and tools to help everyone prepare for hurricane season. Our website also includes evacuation maps and checklists as well as information on generator safety. During a crisis event or hurricane, www.tpcg.org will provide up to the minute updates on curfews, road and school closures, sand bag locations, as well the availability of food and other aid. Also included on our website is a guide for residents to follow after a storm to make certain that their homes and families remain safe. In addition to our parish website, our Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will aggressively provide information to the public via their Facebook (Terrebonne Parish OHSEP) and Twitter (TOHSEP) pages. You can also call the Parish Hotline (1-888-356-4737) to provide updated information during emergencies.

National Convention Coming To Terrebonne Parish

Terrebonne Parish was recently selected to host the 2013 National Foster Grandparents Volunteer Conference.

This convention will draw some 400 Foster Grandparents to Terrebonne to take part in a series of meetings and seminars on November 1st to the 4th. It is estimated that approximately 75% of convention attendees will be visiting Terrebonne Parish from other states.

Participants in the Foster Grandparents Program volunteer their time to disadvantaged or disabled youth in their communities. Some of their primary areas of service include: offering emotional support to victims of child abuse and neglect, tutoring children with low literacy skills, mentoring troubled teenagers and young mothers, caring for premature infants, and supporting children with physical disabilities and illnesses.

We are truly honored that the Foster Grandparents Program decided on Terrebonne Parish to host there national conference. The great work and service done by the Foster Grandparents in Terrebonne Parish and beyond make their selection of our parish even a greater honor.

Terrebonne Parish Allocated $7 Million for Home Elevations

Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government has been allocated an additional $7 million to expand its home elevation program. These funds were provided to the State of Louisiana by FEMA as a part of the recovery from hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

These new funds will be used for the elevation of repetitively flood damaged properties in Terrebonne Parish. This funding is sufficient to lift approximately 40 structures. Applicants will be required to provide at least a 25% match of the total project cost.

Applications and outreach for this program will begin later this spring. The Parish will continue to prefer primary residences that have flooded repeatedly over secondary homes. Commercial properties will not be eligible for this grant.

For more information, residents can contact the parish Recovery Assistance and Mitigation Planning Department at (985) 873-6565.