United Houma Nation Takes Action to Protect Community from Future Disasters

By Kyler Edsitty

United Houma Nation Staff

[Houma, Louisiana, April 7, 2026] - The wind is raging, and the waters are rising. A family is told to evacuate their home. They pack their car with essential supplies (water, food, blankets, and clothing). Driving through their town, they see roofs blown off and tree branches all over the road. They do not have enough gas to reach safety. They drive to a gas station with a long line of cars. They wait 6 hours to get gas. Unfortunately, the gas station runs out of gas. They are forced to find another gas station. They wait another 4 hours to finally get gas. This situation is all too familiar for the United Houma Nation. In 2021, Category 4 Hurricane Ida devastated the Houma, LA, area, killing 87 people and causing millions of dollars in damage. Years later, the community and United Houma Nation tribal members are still physically and economically recovering. To prepare its staff and community for future storms, United Houma Nation leaders participated in Native Public Media’s (NPM) Emergency Management Plan (EMP) training. 

NPM created the EMP training for Tribal broadcasters to ensure that radio and television stations can continue broadcasting during emergencies. Being on the air during crises is crucial, as many citizens rely on broadcasters and Tribal leaders to deliver lifesaving information. Through the training, the United Houma Nation can develop a more robust emergency plan that will protect its staff and residents, especially during hurricanes. The United Houma Nation lost its radio station building during Hurricane Ida. All that remains is their radio tower. The loss of the radio station has greatly affected the safety of the Houma Nation and its neighboring communities. They are now developing a new strategy for communicating emergency information to their communities. This includes completing a communications audit and building emergency shelter hubs throughout its communities. These hubs will provide food and supplies to families during an emergency. NPM’s EMP training came at the right time.   

The training begins with an overview of basic emergency planning strategies based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) approach to emergency preparedness, known as the Emergency Management Cycle. This cycle includes preventing and mitigating emergencies to stop them from happening or to reduce their damaging effects. Preparation is another phase that ensures staff undergo emergency drills and know how to respond during emergencies. Adequate response is the next phase, where staff contact first responders and assist in stabilizing the incident site. The last phase is recovery, where staff work to restore normal operations and assess any damage. The staff acknowledged that they follow this cycle subconsciously as individuals, but not as a collective team. However, putting these plans into action has enormous potential.  

United Houma Nation Executive Director Jason Trosclair spoke to the importance of these emergency management initiatives.

“It brought to light critical safety and emergency preparedness gaps within our office that we had previously overlooked,” Trosclair stated.

Part of the EMP training includes a threat and risk assessment that asks staff which disasters could affect the community and how often they might occur. The staff’s immediate concerns were seasonal hazards such as hurricanes, floods, and high winds. With this foresight, the staff developed a hurricane-specific emergency plan that outlines what staff should do before, during, and after a storm. This planning also helps protect Tribal infrastructure from damage caused by flooding and high winds. In the future, the staff plans to implement this community-wide, so Tribal members are also prepared and have access to emergency supplies and shelter. These supplies could also include gasoline for vehicles and generators. 

Former KUHN Radio Tower

With this new knowledge, the United Houma Nation staff began drafting their EMP. Part of the plan includes further coordination with local first responders to ensure community-wide cooperation and action. Moving forward, they want to implement more evacuation drills and make the plan more accessible to future staff members and all Tribal members.

“The training was an instrumental experience for the United Houma Nation,” Trosclair stated. “The training not only strengthened our awareness of essential safety measures, but also empowered our staff with the knowledge and tools needed to create a more secure and resilient working environment. This was a meaningful step forward in protecting our team and ensuring we are better prepared to serve our community in times of need.”

The United Houma Nation is preparing for its future. Through this training, the United Houma Nation demonstrates its commitment to the safety and security of its members, come rain or shine.

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