Project History

Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August of 2005 and has hyper-focused Americans on hurricanes ever since. Then just three weeks later, Hurricane Rita slammed onto Louisiana's shores. These two Category 5 (Category 3 at landfall) hurricanes caused $91 Billion in damages and killed more than 1,800.

But the National Hurricane Museum & Science Center project was underway well before that, beginning in 2002 in preparation for the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Audrey, itself a deadly storm which ushered in the modern era of weather reporting. Here is a chronology of the NHMSC project to date...

2002	Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Scenic Byways grant received to preserve historic documents, contract with museum consults for conceptual phase, and create sponsor/partnership materials for the Hurricane Audrey Memorial Museum
2003	FHWA Scenic Byways grant received for design/fabrication consultant for the Hurricane Audrey Memorial Museum
June 2005	Contract with project coordinator for NHMSC project
August 2005	Request for proposals for exhibit design concepts
November 2005	Post Hurricane Katrina and Rita, the Creole Nature Trail Board of Commissioners agrees to broaden scope of project and renames project the National Hurricane Museum & Science Center
December 2005	Review of exhibit design RFP’s and date set for top 5 (of 14 proposals submitted) companies to make oral presentations
February 2006	Southwest Louisiana Design Team (SLDC) chosen to create Master Plan.
February 2006	Submittal of $1.36 million grant request, through Federal Highway Administration National Scenic Byways program, for partial funding of architectural and exhibit schematic design and programing
February 2006	Creole Nature Trail All-American Road District meetings with congressional delegation, NOAA and National Weather Service
April 2006	Meetings with mayors, police juries, Southwest Louisiana legislative delegation, Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, and other stakeholders to ask for their support
April 2006	SLDT begin work on feasibility study and site selection criteria
May 2006	Louisiana Senate Concurrent Resolution 49 to commend and express support for the creation of the NHMSC in Southwest Louisiana
June 2006	SLDT facilitation of design charrettes
June 2006	Work with Congressman Charles Boustany and Senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter to obtain congressional resolution to commend and express support for the creation of the museum/science center, and on future appropriations
July 2006	Creation of nonprofit, 501(c)(3) status for National Hurricane Museum & Science Center, Inc.
August 2006	SLDT final market feasibility report, site selection weighting and exhibit concepts
September 2006	Announcement of project plans, market feasibility and Congressional Resolution to media and public in Washington, DC, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles
September 2006	The Office of Natural and Human Environment announced that Acting Secretary Maria Cino had awarded (among others) the $1.36 million request for the National Hurricane Museum & Science Center, Phase III. This grant, which is an 80% Federal, 20% local match funding, represents the largest request ever made in the history of Louisiana Scenic Byways
January 2007	SLDT finalized site criteria for location of NHMSC
February 2007	Issued RFP for documentary production to record survivors and rescuers from hurricanes Audrey, Rita and Katrina
April 2007	Contracted with Fresh Media, LLC, to produce documentary raw footage to be used for promotional content for the Center and fund raising purposes. Footage includes testimonials from survivors of Hurricanes Audrey (1957), Katrina (2005) and Rita (2005)
May 2007	Hosted (two) public review and input meetings of top four sites for NHMSC
Summer 2007	Met with property owners of top four sites for NHMSC to determine feasibility/cost for each site
September 2007	Received documentary work from Fresh Media Click here to view
December 2007	Announcement of recommended sites for NHMSC: Lake Charles downtown lakefront area and Cameron Courthouse Square
December 2007	Sent final draft of RFQ for NHMSC schematic design ($1.36 million grant) to Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for approval
June 2008	RFQ for NHMSC schematic design ($1.36 million grant) made available, through Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, for proposals from architectural firms and exhibit designers
August 2008	Hired Chora Creative, LLC, to consult on fund raising and board development organization. Conducted workshops with Creole Nature Trail organization.
October 2008	SmithGroup, Inc. and Eisterhold Associates, LLC, chosen as building and exhibit schematic design team. In addition to the design work, the team will produce focus group research and a branding package for the project. Bernstein-Rein chosen to conduct research and logo design
November 2008	Schematic design work began; will continue through 2010.
Jan-Mar 2009	Focus group research conducted in Houston, Atlanta, Mobile, Chicago and New York City
April 2009	NHMSC concept reviewed with Bill Read, Director, National Hurricane Center, at annual National Hurricane Conference
November 2009	Initial plan and timeline for fund and board development reviewed by in-houseCreative and Chora Creative.
November 2009	Cooperative Endeavor Agreement signed with City of Lake Charles, to provide funding, location and infrastructure improvements
January 2010	Begin work on NHMSC Business Plan and Demand Analysis
January 2010	Merger of NHMSC with Americas Wetland Center; present Board of Directors elected
May 2010	Publication of Updated Master Plan
November 2010	Publication of Schematic Design