Hurricane Re-Entry System Set Up for Louisiana Parish Businesses

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Terrebonne Parish has a new emergency re-entry process for companies attempting to reopen after a mandatory hurricane evacuation.

The Courier reported placards would replace company picture ID badges and would allow company representatives access to check the status of their businesses as well as prepare them to be reopened after a tropical storm or hurricane.

Approved employees would be part of a system set up by the parish to determine who gets back into an area following a mandatory evacuation.

The first people allowed back into an area would be emergency responders and workers sent to put infrastructure into working order, Terrebonne emergency preparedness director Earl Eues said.

Once Terrebonne streets are cleared of debris or repaired, employees would be allowed back into an area to prepare their businesses to reopen.

“These people can come back in, set up their businesses and make sure they’re running so that the general public can have access to lumber stores, pharmacies, banks and grocery stores,” he said.

To be granted access to the parish following an evacuation, business owners or representatives will have to register atwww.parishreentry.com/terrebonne where they’ll be asked to fill out information concerning their businesses and the employees they require to be able to return to the area following a storm.

Once the information is filled out and approved by the agency, employees listed in the application would receive an email when a mandatory evacuation is called. The email would include a printable placard granting them access to the parish.

The new system will bring Terrebonne in line with a similar system introduced last year in Lafourche Parish by its Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Eues said.

“It’s a better system as far as accommodating the people who need to get back in to the area. The old system where they would just show their company photo ID was more difficult. If they lost their ID, there was no way for them to get a replacement and get back into town. This way they can just go to their email and print out a new placard,” he said.