'A path forward': New Lockport community built to withstand hurricanes

State and local officials marked the start of hurricane season Wednesday in Lockport by celebrating a new affordable housing community designed to withstand strong storms.

At first glance, the Les Maisons de Bayou Lafourche looks like a typical housing community.

But it’s what you don’t see that sets the 9-acre development apart, project manager Will Bowling said.

“What makes this community really special are many of the things that might not be readily apparent,” he said. “There are no power lines. Underground electric power means there aren’t any poles to blow down in a hurricane. We have structurally engineered roofs, doors and windows that are designed to withstand a Category 3 hurricane. We have subtlety elevated homes that reduce flood risk and keep the neighborhood and community feel.”

The $11 million housing community resulted from a state-run program called La Safe to come up with strategies and projects in anticipation of coastal land loss and increased flood risk.

The Louisiana Office of Community Development joined forces with La Safe to conduct a nine-month assessment in Lafourche, Terrebonne and other parishes damaged by Hurricane Isaac in 2012.

Each of the six parishes involved — the others are Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. John the Baptist and St. Tammany — received $5 million to $7 million for a test project based, in part, on discussions and plans that emerged from public hearings. The communities were chosen because a $40 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that paid for the projects was set aside specifically for parishes with unmet needs from Hurricane Isaac in 2012.

During public meetings, residents said there was a need for affordable housing in the northern part of the parish which has a lower flood risk, officials said.

“Out of that process, one of the things we heard was that people wanted housing that’s safe during storms that they can move back into after a storm,” said Pat Forbes, executive director of the Louisiana Housing Corporation. “This is a result of that."

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The state awarded New Orleans-based Gulf Coast Housing Partnership a $7 million grant to build Les Maisons de Bayou Lafourche.

The 35 units include a special roof system and a "continuous load path system" that secures the structure together and redistributes strong wind to the building's foundation. Inside the homes, paperless drywall is designed to reduce or eliminate mold after a flood, Bowling said.

“We also have small undulations in the landscape around you that are designed to detain water and mitigate flooding downstream,” he said.

Weathering Hurricane Ida

Construction began on Les Maisons de Bayou Lafourche in August 2020, about a year before Hurricane Ida made landfall.

“As optimistic developers, we anticipated these storm events would come at a very distant date in the future,” Bowling said. “Well, we were very wrong. In our one-year construction period, we paused four times for Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta and Ida.”

The development was about 90% complete when Ida made landfall Aug. 29 at Port Fourchon and put the newly built community to the ultimate test, Bowling said. Two days after the Category 4 storm devastated Lafourche, drone footage showed Les Maisons had withstood Ida’s wrath.

“We know that Hurricane Ida had enormous impact upon the lives of everyone in Lockport and throughout Lafourche Parish,” Bowling said. “We hope Les Maisons points to a path forward. While we can’t control the weather, we hope this development might provide families with more control over their ability to return quickly and safely after a severe storm.”

'I’m blessed to have this place'

Darlene Verdin is one of 77 residents who began moving into the development in October.

“It’s great for us old single ladies,” she said. “It’s easy to clean and the utilities aren’t too bad. Most of the apartment complexes are still not open, and when I got displaced, I went to Houma to be closer to my daughter but found out I was 148th on the waiting list. So I’m blessed to have this place.”

Joshua Hollins, executive director of Louisiana Office of Community Development, said it’s symbolic that Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting was held on the first day of hurricane season.

“As we sit here on the first day of hurricane season, this development is a model of how we’re able to be prepared and ready for whatever comes our way,” Hollins said. “I could not be more proud to announce the completion of Les Maisons de Bayou, the first government-funded housing project in Louisiana to incorporate this level of resiliency features.”

Kathy Laborde, Gulf coast Housing Partnership president and CEO, said the development in Lockport will serve as a model for developers on how to build housing that adapts to a storm-prone environment.

“Hurricanes just don’t impact the community, they impact everybody that lives in the state,” Laborde said. “It’s important that we learn to do this better. It’s important for our citizens and it’s important for the endurance of the state. We have to learn from this development and incorporate its principles when we build.”

Resident Betty Falgout said she is relieved to have a stable roof over her head after moving from place to place after Hurricane Ida.

“Hopefully this is the last place,” she said. “It’s great. You should see the inside. They have all the appliances like a dishwasher, washer and dryer, stove and everything. It’s just so nice.”

— Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp. 

This article originally appeared on The Courier: 'A path forward': New Lockport community built to withstand hurricanes