Terrebonne Parish School Board declares state of emergency after winter storm Enzo

The Terrebonne Parish School Board on a voice vote declared a state of emergency Tuesday evening for damage from winter storm Enzo, which the board’s motion said affected the parish from Jan. 20, 2025, through Jan. 23, 2025, and authorized the superintendent to take all actions necessary to respond, including evaluating damage, mitigating and repairing facilities, and entering into contracts for that work.

Superintendent (name not specified in the transcript) told the board that while “our schools did well, however, not without issues,” maintenance staff and district crews encountered multiple failures after the storm and made extensive repairs to get buildings open. The superintendent named several staff members who responded: Sammy, Jerry Hebert, Marty Brown and Herman Estier, and said crews worked late to prepare Berg School and others to open on Monday after the storm.

The move to declare an emergency was offered by Mister Crowdis (mover) and seconded by a board member whose name was not recorded in the transcript; the motion passed after the chair asked for objections and heard none. The board’s written recommendation on the floor specified the Jan. 20–23 window and asked that the superintendent be authorized to enter into contracts with contractors, architects or construction firms as needed to evaluate, mitigate and repair damage.

Board members raised questions about the scope and timing of the declaration. Board member Debbie Benoit asked whether the emergency window should extend through Jan. 24, noting the district kept schools closed through that date: “So would we not wanna go through the 24th?” The superintendent responded that the Jan. 20–23 dates reflect when the storm affected the parish and said some repairs continued afterward.

Board member Roger Dale DeHart emphasized that travel and utilities affected the timing of reopening, noting that “we had roads that could not be traveled. We had bridges that were closed… many of our areas in Terrebonne Parish and Lafourche had no water.” DeHart said lack of water and impassable roads were key safety reasons for delayed reopening and suggested pursuing any recoverable costs.

DeHart also asked whether the authorization to enter contracts covered contractors and construction firms; the superintendent answered, “Yes, sir. Contractors in particular.”

The board did not provide a recorded roll-call vote; the chair declared the motion passed after asking for objections. The motion’s authorization allows the superintendent to evaluate damages at schools and administrative buildings, mitigate and repair those damages, and enter contracts necessary for those tasks.

The board adjourned the special emergency meeting after the vote and moved into committee work on the agenda.