Congressman Visits Area Post-Ida

U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, House Whip, toured Bollinger Shipyards Lockport facility in mid-October to see first-hand the ongoing recovery efforts following Hurricane Ida’s landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm in late August. Bollinger’s facilities in Lockport, Port Fourchon, Larose and Houma suffered significant damage as a result of the storm, which tied with last year’s Hurricane Laura and the Last Island Hurricane of 1856 as the strongest on record in Louisiana.

“Our community, like many across South Louisiana, took a direct hit from Hurricane Ida – in many regards, this storm was worse than Katrina,” said Ben Bordelon, President and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards. “It’s important for our leaders in Washington to see the impacts of storms like this first hand. Despite our extensive rebuilding efforts, Rep. Scalise was still able to see the remaining debris and damage to our buildings and equipment. But more importantly, he was able to see that our skilled workforce can walk and chew gum — you’ve got folks repairing holes in the roof above and replacing siding while others are building FRCs directly below. We were honored to host Congressman Scalise and that he spent time in Lockport this week touring our facilities and meeting with some of the 650 employees that support our operations here. On behalf of the men and women of Bollinger, I thank Congressman Scalise for his continued support, recognition and leadership he provides on maritime issues, and especially on the Fast Response Cutter program.” 

On September 24th, following an extensive multi-week recovery and rebuilding effort, Bollinger welcomed employees back to all 11 of its facilities across Louisiana. Bollinger’s Lockport facility is home to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) program, which directly supports 650 jobs. This past Sunday, the 46th FRC, USCGC JOHN SCHEUERMAN, departed Lockport for Port Fourchon where it will undergo shakedown exercises in preparation for its delivery to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, FL later this month. Delivery is expected to take place ahead of schedule.