Bayouland YMCA opens one year after Hurricane Ida

Residents of Terrebonne Parish celebrated the return of a beloved community center one year after sustaining severe damages from Hurricane Ida. On Monday, Sept. 12, the James J. Buquet Jr. Bayouland YMCA opened its doors to members of the community at 5 a.m., to a new state of the art facility. The reopening of the building was a bittersweet experience for both staff and members, as the facility closed its doors in August 2021, unbeknownst to what the coming weeks had in store.

The impact of Hurricane Ida left behind over $3.4 million dollars in damage to the facility, sustaining wind and water damage throughout the building. Angi Falgout, C.E.O of the Bayouland YMCA, has been with the organization for 15 years and has experienced the many trials and tribulations that come with living in Southeast Louisiana. Falgout shared the Y’s journey to recovery. “Pretty much like most of our community members, we faced a lot of adversity, a lot of trials and tribulations. We were very fortunate to find a construction company to come in within two days of the storm passing and we were able to get a water mitigation company here to start drying the building out really quick. At that time, we had no clue how significant the damage was; we were pretty close to $3.4 million dollars and we’ve had a very trying journey when it comes to insurance.”

Falgout said the facility is about 80 percent complete, sharing how the state of the economy played a significant role in the return of the facility. “I’m the type of person who wants things ready. I don’t know like things to start half done. But you have to put your pride aside and say you have to educate everyone and let them know good things are coming.  This is not all you’re going to get, you’re going to get a whole lot more, but we had to open. With the inflation of everything and the cost of utilities rising, we had to open the doors in order to sustain the facility.”

Like many residents of Terrebonne, staff members at the local YMCA were heavily impacted by the storm. Falgout shared the issues she and her staff experienced both personally and professionally in the aftermath of the catastrophic storm. “Throughout the journey I had the help of staff and this is one of the many reasons it was important for us to return. This is their livelihood and this is what they put all of their heart and effort into. Myself and my two managers all had significant damages to our homes, so it wasn’t just about the facility but it was about our homes too. Its resilience, it’s learning how to cope and how to handle the things life throws out.”

This isn’t the first time the facility recovered from a natural disaster. In 2008, Hurricane Gustav plowed through the Gulf Coast, leaving behind $1.4 million dollars in damages, causing the center to close for 30 months. Falgout said following Gustav, Bayouland YMCA had a total of 2800 units, which equals to 4200 members. She projects the return of the facility will receive the same amount of support as it did 13 years ago.

The newly renovated facility, located at 103 Valhi Blvd, has programs and memberships to offer every demographic. The YMCA offers swimming lessons, aqua aerobics, group fitness classes, personal training, basic CPR classes, first aid and safety, and certification classes. Prior to Ida, the center offered after school programs, however Falgout said it won’t be available until further notice. In addition to various programs, the facility offers a plethora of membership options, including law enforcement, military, veteran, student, and senior rates. Falgout said YMCA is also partnering with select insurance agency’s to cover membership fees for those eligible and will begin to offer scholarships and financial assistance to students once the center begins its fundraising efforts.

“Everything happens for a reason, the community deserves a new YMCA and that’s what they have now,” said Falgout. “The YMCA is not just a gym, it’s a community involvement organization. The look on everyone’s faces on Monday morning all throughout, it makes it all worthwhile. It was time to open back up and get this place running. There is no other feeling like this, It brings tears to your eyes to know we’re only 3 days in and have 500 memberships already. To not only see our returning members, but to see new faces coming in is amazing.”

In the coming months, Bayouland YMCA will receive new features including 3 pickleball courts, a volleyball and basketball court, an upgrade to the sundeck, and a new horseshoe and cornhole court in place of the old playground.