Lafourche EOC and government offices move to new location

RACELAND, La. (September 8, 2008) n Due to damages sustained during Hurricane Gustav, the Lafourche Parish Government has moved its Emergency Operations Center and all of its Government Offices from the Sondra B. Barrios Building in Raceland to the old Wal-Mart building on LA-1 in Matthews.

The move began Sunday morning and was completed by the evening when the phone lines were switched over to the new location. The transfer was successful without any loss or delay of government services. The shift was necessary due to deteriorating conditions at the Raceland building.

The Barrios Building was damaged by Gustav’s high winds, ripping parts of the roof off of the far right side of the building. The Council Chamber, Executive Session meeting room and some Head Start offices suffered the most damage, with other areas receiving some minor damage as well.

Officials said they expect to be in the temporary site in Matthews for at least six months while repairs are made to the Barrios Building. This time period could be extended depending on the level of damage at the Raceland site. Inspectors will soon be assessing the damage to determine the level of repairs needed at the site.