The Beauregard Parish School system has begun the clean-up and recovery process
in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, according to Superintendent Timothy Cooley.
“Beauregard Parish School Board employees were on the ground the day after
Hurricane Laura assessing damage to our schools and facilities and beginning the clean-up
process,” he said. “Some of our schools fared the storm well with little damage, while other
schools were hit hard.”
South Beauregard Upper Elementary suffered the greatest damage with the majority
of the school breached through roof, window, and wall damage. Several inches of water and
debris were in hallways and classrooms. South Beauregard High School had damage to the
library and nearby hallways as well as damage to athletic areas. South Beauregard
Elementary sustained the least amount of damage with some water leaks at the school.
East Beauregard High School has some roof damage with water in buildings and
damage to the band hall along with the loss of the field house. East Beauregard Elementary
suffered water damage to the auditorium and cafeteria along with several AC units blown
off the roof.
Merryville High School had water leak on the main gymnasium floor and in
cafeteria. Singer High School had water leaks in the front office and original gymnasium
area.
In DeRidder, K.R Hanchey Elementary, Title I, Beauregard Alternative, and the Bus
Barn sustained minimal damage. The Central Office sustained some window and water
damage while the maintenance building lost its roof.
The roof over the library at Carver Elementary was peeled back with major water
damage to library contents as well as to classrooms and restrooms on the adjoining
hallway. Pine Wood Elementary had windows blown out in the gymnasium with water
damage.
DeRidder Junior High School sustained holes in the roof with some water damage.
DeRidder High School has roof damage on the main building and lost the concession stand
and the roof of the field house.
The School Board immediately put out bids for a Disaster Recovery Team and hired
Cotton Contractors to install large generators at the schools to get climate control back in
as many areas as possible to mitigate mold and mildew and to begin the clean-up process.
“In addition to working with Cotton, we are also already in meetings with our
insurance adjustors and with FEMA and GOHSEP to begin documenting the damage and
creating lists of destroyed and lost items,” explained Cooley. “This will be a long process,
but we are meeting daily with representatives from each of these groups as we tackle the
recovery one step at a time.”
Many schools systems across the state have reached out with advice and help with
the recovery process as well as donations for our schools, students, and teachers, Cooley
said. We appreciate each of them and know our recovery process is made easier because of
their assistance.
Even as we are working diligently on cleaning and repairs, we are making plans to
have our teachers and students engaging in the educational process as soon as we can
facilitate it safely, Cooley said. We hope to have a specific plan for reopening schools by
September 17, and will get that information out as soon as we can.
“We will all get through this together,” he concluded. “Each day we make progress
toward returning our school system to its main purpose of educating the students of
Beauregard Parish. We appreciate your understanding and your patience as we navigate
this process as a community.”
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