Houma Thibodaux News

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), with support from the State of Louisiana, has awarded an Emergency Mitigation and Preparedness Grant to the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center (SLWDC). This grant aims to mitigate previous impacts from emergency events and prepare for future threats.

Natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods, along with other emergency events, pose significant risks to Louisiana’s cultural infrastructure. The Emergency Mitigation and Preparedness Grants assist organizations in better preparing for and responding to potential threats by reducing vulnerability and establishing strategies for mitigating future emergencies.

The SLWDC had previously developed an emergency plan with LEH's assistance. The new grant facilitates the implementation of this plan by funding supplies, materials, and equipment needed to mitigate disaster effects at both facilities managed by SLWDC: the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum located at 7910 Park Ave., Houma, and the Wetlands Event Center at 86 Valhi Blvd., Houma. Additionally, the grant supports costs associated with copying and digitizing existing audio, video, and photographs for cloud storage.

“Because the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum holds various artifacts, collections, and displays, having a grant to aid with purchasing necessary tools and items for emergency and disaster carts greatly increases our ability to preserve and secure the collections, items on loan, and the offices of SLWDC," said Executive Director Jonathan Foret. "The Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum and the Wetlands Event Center are integral parts of SLWDC’s mission of teaching about Louisiana’s coast. The museum currently contains audio-visual exhibits that hold historical significance to Houma, Terrebonne Parish, and Louisiana's coast. The Wetlands Event Center houses collections not on display at the museum along with several chest freezers used to preserve water-damaged artifacts until they can be conserved."

Foret added that through purchasing emergency carts equipped with necessary contents, SLWDC will be able to protect current and future collections for public benefit.

Funding for this 2024 Emergency Mitigation and Preparedness Grant was provided by the State of Louisiana and administered by LEH.