WWNO skyline header graphic
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Local Newscast
Hear the latest from the WWNO/WRKF Newsroom.

Lake Charles Hurricane Museum Aims To Educate And Protect

www.nhmsc.com
A rendering of the National Hurricane Museum & Science Center.

September 24 marks the ten-year anniversary of Hurricane Rita. It hit the western part of the state less than a month after Katrina and re-flooded parts of New Orleans where the levees had failed.

Lake Charles is holding a hurricane awareness day this Saturday in conjunction with ongoing efforts to open a new hurricane museum.

 

The $60 million National Hurricane Museum & Science Center won’t open until 2018, but its founders want to get the public excited now.

Chairman of the board, Gray Stream, says drivers on I-10 will see giant stainless steel waves over the eastern shoreline of Lake Charles. Inside, visitors will find displays on storm history and science.

“We certainly expect it to be a powerful interactive experience — one that hopefully will continue to reinforce their appreciation of these events and make them better informed of how to prepare mentally and how to recover better,” says Stream.

The museum will educate the public, and collaborate with schools, industry, universities and government bodies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Stream says the goal is to present the latest research, but also to save lives and protect property against future storms.

He expects several hundred thousand visitors annually. That would put attendance in the realm of visitors to New Orleans’ World War II Museum.

 

Tegan has reported on the coast for WWNO since 2015. In this role she has covered a wide range of issues and subjects related to coastal land loss, coastal restoration, and the culture and economy of Louisiana’s coastal zone, with a focus on solutions and the human dimensions of climate change. Her reporting has been aired nationally on Planet Money, Reveal, All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Marketplace, BBC, CBC and other outlets. She’s a recipient of the Pulitzer Connected Coastlines grant, CUNY Resilience Fellowship, Metcalf Fellowship, and countless national and regional awards.

👋 Looks like you could use more news. Sign up for our newsletters.

* indicates required
New Orleans Public Radio News
New Orleans Public Radio Info