TERREBONNE PARISH, La. — Down the bayou in Terrebonne Parish, two elementary schools destroyed by Hurricane Ida still sit, unusable, in communities waiting for school bells to ring again.
“It’s going to take time," Superintendent Bubba Orgeron said. "We wish it would be tomorrow, but we realize that it’s a process."
Orgeron says that the process is at the mercy of FEMA. The agency must first approve plans and cost estimates for new schools before the damaged ones can be torn down.
“As long as it’s taking, we feel good about their cooperation with us so far. It is a slow process, but they’ve been very responsive,” Orgeron said.
In the meantime, students from Grand Caillou Elementary are about six miles from their original campus. Students from Upper Little Caillou are about 11 miles from theirs. Both schools are being housed in Houma, inside former schools that were vacant.
“It is some inconvenience, but both buildings are good structures,” Orgeron said.
Late last year, the school board voted to rebuild instead of relocate. In casting his vote, board member Roger Dale DeHart told Eyewitness News those schools are too important for the community not to have.
“Why would people want to come back to the community where there are no more schools that they really embraced and are very proud of?” DeHart said back in December.
As the FEMA review process drags on, so does the completion timeline.
“Typically, rule of thumb is 18 months to two years of construction with about a year of design, so we’re looking at about a two-and-a-half, three-year process once we get the final approval,” Orgeron said.
That could mean about five years since the storm before students can return to classrooms in their communities. It’ll also be expensive getting them back.
“A typical school, like a Grand Caillou Elementary or a Upper Little Caillou Elementary, we’re talking $12 million to $15 million dollar buildings, maybe more by the time we get started,” Orgeron said.
FEMA should pick up about 90 percent of the cost. That’s part of the reason why the approval takes time.
Ellender Memorial and South Terrebonne High Schools were also damaged by Hurricane Ida. Those schools are being repaired. Students are currently using modular buildings on campus.
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