Our podcast is a collection of historical information about Vernon Parish as well as the recent activity of Hurricane Harvey in the area. Starting with a brief description of Hurricane Harvey and the impact on both the state of Texas and Louisiana. Each 12 affected parishes in Louisiana are being studied by different groups. Although the severity of each parish is different, our podcast focuses on the specifics of Vernon parish. Our first topic is the history of Vernon and how the parish started out. The land description, population, way of life, trading specifics, and the military influence is what is focused in this section. Secondly, a quick overview of when Hurricane Harvey hits land and some of the damage it did to Texas and Louisiana. Flooding was a major problem and the third section talks more about how flooding affected the community, as the lakes and dams flooding was a problem. The community and government aid is expressed in the last section, along with the personal experience of some of the Vernon Parish. These interviews give a better understanding of the severity of Hurricane Harvey.

By Mallory Fontenot, Jacqueline Fuentes, Trina Lam, Kate Thibodeaux of the HIST 307 Louisiana History class.

How Vernon Parish was affected by Hurricane Harvey

The Catch is a podcast made by Tayler Barbay and Jordan Owens in Dr. Skiltons HIST 307-002 class. This podcast has information on the history of Sabine Parish and the effects Hurricane Harvey had throughout Louisiana and Texas, mainly focusing on the Toledo Bend Reservoir. It begins with a short history of Sabine Parish including the time span from when the first European settlers came to the most current census from the United States Census Bureau. The podcast goes on to talk about Hurricane Harvey and incorporates interviews of people who were out in Sabine Parish on November 1st, 2019 during a history harvest done by students at University of Louisiana at Lafayette. These interviews include more details and personal experiences of those effected by Hurricane Harvey. Throughout the podcast there are short “commercial breaks” meant to lighten the mood and cover tips on fishing in the Toledo Bend Reservoir as well as some fishing jokes.

By Tayler Barbay & Jordan Owens of the HIST 307 Louisiana History class.

The Catch

This podcast hones in on on Rapides Parish in Central Louisiana, with narrators Anthony Schiro, William D’Aquila, and Meredith Aguilar guiding the way through it’s history. The podcast discusses the parish by describing the inception and establishment of Rapides, all the way to its modern role as a mega shelter during severe hurricanes. In the podcast, a detailed overview of key events is given about time periods such as the Civil War and Post-Civil War era, as well as an elaboration of the parish’s role in Hurricane Harvey. To do this, multiple primary and secondary sources were used, including but not limited to, interviews from residents of the area regarding their accounts of the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey during 2017. By focusing on the experiences of locals throughout this difficult time, the goal of this podcast is to convey the relevance of Rapides Parish to Louisiana history, despite the lack of headlines it may receive. 

By Anthony Schiro, William D'Aquila, and Meredith Aguilar of the HIST 307 Louisiana History class.

Rapides Parish: A History Through Hurricane Harvey

A compilation of interviews by Lafayette Parish residents collected at the Lafayette Artisans and Farmers Market, detailing experiences during the catastrophic floods that impacted Louisiana in August 2016.

UNDERWATER: Memories of the 2016 Floods: Part 1: Lafayette

This spring we invited alum Zachary Henry of Z.A.H. Productions to lead workshops in Audio Engineering and Podcasting in our new Guilbeau Center for Public History podcast studio. You probably remember Henry’s work as the student-creator of the UNDERWATER podcast that looked at memories of the 2016 Floods at the 1 Year Anniversary (available here on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ulhistory/underwater-memories-of-the-2016-floods-part-1-lafayette).

During the workshop, Henry worked with students to master the ins and outs of working with the equipment in the Guilbeau Center’s podcast studio, creating and editing audio clips, and even adding sound effects. Hear Henry’s example of an audio walking tour of UL Lafayette, including the humorous sound effects to match, which was created during the podcast workshops to show students how to produce their own podcast tours!

UL Lafayette Audio Tour Sample (Humorous)

From the Guilbeau Center for Public History, in the Department of History, at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

UL Lafayette History