More than three months after the groundbreaking was scheduled, the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross officially broke ground Friday morning on its Continuity of Operations Plan, or COOP, building as bulldozers and heavy equipment continued to work on the new North Shore Regional Emergency Operations Center near the intersection of Louisiana Highways 1077 and 1085.

Kay Wilkins, CEO for the Southeast Chapter of the American Red Cross, said that in the aftermath of Katrina, the Red Cross “created history everyday.” She said a visitor from Kuwait was interested in seeing what they were doing after the storm and was very pleased with what he saw. He subsequently donated $25 million from the Kuwait Red Crescent Society for the Red Cross in the Gulf Coast area. Part of his donation made the new building possible.

Officials from the Northshore area, including Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess, Sen. Jack Donahue and Rep. John Schroder, gathered to salute the addition to the Northshore landscape.

American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter CEO Kay Wilkins and Chairman of the Board Jay Young are shown at the groundbreaking for the new Red Cross Continuity of Operations facility and office near Goodbee. (Staff Photo by Debbie Glover)

Schroder said the Red Cross proves that communities don’t need shelp from the government to do everything, but that members of the community can join together to get things done after a disaster.

The need for the facility was determined after Hurricane Katrina forced an evacuation from the New Orleans area in 2005. Ironically, the groundbreaking on the facility, which was originally scheduled to coincide with the third anniversary of Katrina, had to be postponed due to preparations for Hurricane Gustav.

Wilkins said the building is a tribute to the time, talent and treasures of volunteers and donors.

The building will be 21,420- square-feet and will act as the emergency operations center for the Red Cross. If an evacuation order is given, everyone in the Red Cross, including volunteers, will be relocated to the new facility. The entire second floor will have shelter capabilities for volunteers in case of evacuation, including shower facilities.

Included in the building will be classrooms for training in CPR, first aid, disaster training and national courses, including advanced training in Red Cross procedures, policy and paperwork for supervisors. Wilkins has said they plan to include a disaster training institute, and classroom space will be available for use by other non-profit groups.

The local office in St. Tammany will use the facility and it will also be the regional office for the Northshore, including Washington and Tangipahoa parishes, although Northshore Regional coordinator Frances Barker said the local offices in those parishes will remain in their current location.

There will also be state-of-the-art communications and IT systems with backup generators for the entire facility. High frequency and ultra high frequency bandwidth radios, satellite communications, land lines, cell phones, fax and e-mail with a 100-foot radio tower on the premises will also help with communication needs.

COOP will also house a warehouse for emergency supplies, such as water and nonperishable food items, and will have a backup generator.

The funding for the facility has come from the Kuwait Red Crescent Society; Northshore Community Foundation and the St. Tammany Parish Home Builders Association.