Economy affecting hurricane plans

Rep. Steve Scalise among those shot in Washington
June 14, 2017
NOAA expects above average season
June 14, 2017
Rep. Steve Scalise among those shot in Washington
June 14, 2017
NOAA expects above average season
June 14, 2017

Houma native Rusty Guidroz doesn’t like bad weather much and neither does his wife.


Because of that, the Guidroz family tends to have a quick trigger finger when it comes to making an evacuation decision when tropical cyclones threaten the area.

“If it gets close, we leave,” Guidroz said. “We don’t stay – not even for the little storms. We just call it a family vacation and head out.”

But maybe not anymore.


Guidroz was laid off from his job in March and he’s currently doing part-time with a friend as often as he can.

The income isn’t steady, nor is it as plentiful as it used to be, and it’s enough of a challenge that the Guidroz family may now be more selective when it comes to deciding when to evacuate during a storm event.

The down local economy is impacting hundreds of thousands of locals – some in indirect ways which often aren’t thought about.


This week, The Times asked locals if money is a factor in the decision and many said yes, adding that it wasn’t always an issue in the past five or six years when things were good.

“We still will be cautious and go if it’s dangerous,” Guidroz said. “I am what you’re call a scaredey cat when it comes to weather. It makes me uneasy and the same for my family, so if it’s a big problem, we will leave – absolutely. But we can’t just pack up without a care in the world and set sail while our hair blows in the wind on the way out of town. I think those days are done.”

Those days are done for other locals, too.


Houma native Renee Morgan said she had an oilfield-related job – a position which got eliminated a few months ago during a round of cuts which swept through the company that employed her.

Like the Guidroz’s, Morgan said she has evacuated for storms in the past – even events which ended up being just a small-scale problem for the Houma-Thibodaux area.

But today, Morgan said she is on a razor thin budget, adding that she has literally “next to nothing” for luxury or leisure until she can get back employed.


Unlike the Guidroz family, Morgan said she couldn’t evacuate out of town – even for big storms.

She said the thought of it all is worrisome during the hurricane season this summer.

“My family is here,” she said. “I don’t really have an aunt, uncle or cousin far enough out of town where I can hop in the car with a full tank and go spend a few days there. You ask me if I’m worried. I am worried. Yes, I am worried. I don’t think about it. I don’t let it sit on my mind, but if tomorrow a storm were in the Gulf and it were heading for Louisiana, I honestly don’t know what I would do, and the thought of that does make me uneasy.”


Evacuating really isn’t all that cheap – especially if you have an entire family and pets to look out for.

Let’s do some of the math.

Let’s assume that a storm is forecast to hit in between New Iberia and Morgan City, which would have strong impacts on Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes and would cause many to leave town.


If a family of four evacuates to Alabama or Mississippi for three nights, the average cost of a room will be somewhere near $100 a night – if not more.

That’s $300 gone – right out of the gate.

Add in supplies and it’s easily $40 per person, which is $160 more, bringing us to $460 total.


Factor in meals three times a day and/or groceries and we can see that the total can easily rise to $600 – if not closer to $1,000 – and that’s only if the trip is for three days.

That’s just not money which many locals have spare right now in their budgets, which has many thinking that evacuation will only come in 2017 if a massive storm approaches.

The Guidroz family said they recently hired a carpenter to fix their shutters, which also hiring someone to change a few shingles on their roof.


Rusty Guidroz said he specifically discussed the topic of evacuation with his wife and together, the couple decided that the best use of their dollars would be to boost their home unit so that it can better withstand a storm event if it comes.

“We are more likely to be inside of the house while it’s passing, so it was definitely a priority to make it as strong as we can,” he said.

That, and hoping for a little lady luck wouldn’t hurt, either.


Morgan said she prays every, single day that this storm season, too, shall pass and that everyone in the area can stay safe – both physically, emotionally and also economically.

“I guess it’s like anything else – if it comes to that point, I’ll have to do what I’ll have to do,” she said. “But I just hope and pray and ask God for it to not get to that point. Let’s just have a nice, quiet season without having to get to that point.”

Hurricane economy


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