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Businesses Battle Back in Terrebonne Parish

By Liane Hansen
Published December 11, 2005 at 12:00 AM EST
Pete Gerica, who once fished and caught shrimp and crabs, lost his home on Bayou Sauvage in East New Orleans.
Ned Wharton, NPR
Pete Gerica, who once fished and caught shrimp and crabs, lost his home on Bayou Sauvage in East New Orleans.
Work has resumed at Motivatit Seafoods in Houma, La., as Terrebone Parish recovers from the wrath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Ned Wharton, NPR /
Work has resumed at Motivatit Seafoods in Houma, La., as Terrebone Parish recovers from the wrath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

As much as oil and natural gas dominate the economy of Louisiana's Terrebonne Parish, fishing remains its heart and soul. During an October visit, Motivatit Seafoods was silent in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But now the clank and clatter of seafood processing has resumed.

But the employment situation in the storm-battered parish is far from rosy. Thousands of families lost their homes... and many fled inland. As Liane Hansen discovered, the mass evacuation has forced businesses to readjust and employ new kinds of workers... while some of those who lost jobs in the storm's wake can't find new ones.

The audio story of the visit to Terrebonne Parish was written by Stu Seidel and produced by Ned Wharton, with help from Jesse Baker. The sound engineer was Marty Kurcias.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Liane Hansen
Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.

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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Donate