Important updates for Terrebonne Parish Residents on the 2023 Hurricane Season

Mr. Earl Eues, Terrebonne Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director, gave briefed the Terrebonne Parish Council on updates regarding the 2023 Hurricane Season during their regular meeting on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

“We are continuing to work to make sure we can close any gaps that we discovered during Hurricane Ida in our Emergency Preparedness plans,” began Eues. “We are already reviewing our plans to make sure we are ready.” Read below for a synopsis on what can be expected during the 2023 Hurricane Season.

2023 HURRICANE SEASON UPDATES

• The National Hurricane Center is predicting a slightly above average Hurricane Season, and are currently predicting 12-17 named storms, 5-9 hurricanes, and 1-4 major hurricanes for the whole Atlantic Basin.
• An El Nino is expected to develop in the Pacific by fall 2023, which is good at preventing Hurricanes in the Atlantic. Unfortunately, it does not always help prevent hurricanes within the Gulf, and members of Terrebonne Parish should still be prepared in the event of a major storm.
• Community members should beware of what Eues has coined “Social Media-ologists,” or people who take to social media to make storm predictions. Be sure to get your storm information and advisories from reputable sources, such as the National Hurricane Center.
• Due to advances in technology, the National Hurricane Service is now able to give a 7-day outlook on tropical storm formations, as opposed to their previously used 5-day outlook model.
• Despite a longer outlook on tropical storms, hurricanes tend to develop extremely quickly within the Gulf, so all residents should be prepared to make storm plans, preparations, and evacuation arrangements as little as 48-hours prior to landfall.
• Residents should pay attention to the predicted storm surge for any major storm. While Terrebonne Parish has levees that protect up to 15 feet, any storm surge over that number could prove lethal.
• The “cone” tracking path that is used to show where hurricanes are expected to travel should not be ignored. Residences just outside the “cone” will still be susceptible to hurricane-force winds, storm surges, or any other type of damage that may occur.

IMPROVEMENTS SINCE HURRICANE IDA:

• The Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness now owns a Compact Rapid Development Unit, a device which can be placed in the parking lot of the Emergency Operations Center to provide first responders with a 2-mile radius of cell phone service immediately following a storm.
• Starlink satellite units have been purchased for the Parish, which will help provide internet service directly following a storm. They will be placed an essential locations around Terrebonne Parish to help residents make Wi-Fi phone calls without cell phone service.
• The Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness is currently working with local radio stations, alongside HTV10, to push out an FM radio signal. This will allow people in their homes to get information from a battery-powered or car radio. Every Terrebonne Parish resident should purchase a battery-powered FM radio to prepare for the 2023 Hurricane Season.

For more information, or to watch the full presentation from Mr. Eues, please visit the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government Facebook or website.