After Hurricane Ida, Our Port Fourchon Office Rebuilds

On August 28^th, 2021, the Louisiana coast was battered by Hurricane Ida. This included our Port Fourchon Service Center, where the devastating hurricane made landfall.

Reparations to the area are still underway – while many structures took significant damage, the service center was completely destroyed. With sustained winds at 150+ mph, and gusts of over 200 mph, many of our employees were displaced, sustained property damage, and were without utilities for months in some cases.

Many lessons were learned during this process, but perhaps the most important being the sense of teamwork, and family that were exhibited by the Port Fourchon team!

We worked together with the local sheriffs office after the hurricane to deliver supplies to both our employees and the rest of the community. Read more on those efforts here. Employees were able to work remotely, continuing the ports activities in Texas until we were able to safely return.

Upon returning, we worked with our customers to establish temporary offices. While Networks could not be used, manifests and shipping papers were printed in Benton, Arkansas, and shipped to the location. Ensuring business, and a sense of normalcy continued. Even our customers took note, and stated that we showed some of the best examples of a “one-team” approach they had ever seen. Especially as each team member was also dealing with varying amounts of damage and disruption to their personal lives.

A Little Good News

While life is still returning to normal, and the area still faces challenges, it provides a moment to look back and celebrate the achievement and challenges we have not only risen too, but also, overcame. Today, the office is back, fully functional, and the employees were able to celebrate in true Louisiana style, with what else, but a crawfish boil for employees and customers. As they say in Louisiana laissez le bon temps rouler!