BATON ROUGE, La. — When disaster strikes, access to reliable information and communication can be just as essential as food and water. The Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SU Ag Center) is meeting that need through its Mobile Technology Education Center (M-Tech Unit), a mobile classroom that delivers educational programs and disaster recovery support across Louisiana.
Launched with federal recovery funds after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the M-Tech Unit was created to help small agricultural businesses rebuild. “After those storms, many of our clientele along the coast lost everything, including their businesses, equipment, and customer base,” said William Augustine, M.Ed., Project Coordinator ECP/ MTEC Technician at Southern University Ag Center. “We developed four certification programs—Food and Farm Safety, Small Business Development, Sustainable Urban Agriculture, and Master Small Ruminant Production—to help them get back on their feet.”
The mobile classroom is equipped with internet access, computers, and printers, making it a traveling hub for education and outreach. Although not originally built for disaster response, its capabilities have made it a vital tool in crisis situations.
“When hurricanes or tornadoes hit and power and communications go down, we can roll in and provide internet access so people can contact insurance companies, apply for SNAP benefits, or complete FEMA paperwork,” Augustine said. “Even if the community has lost power, we can establish a connection and help them communicate with local or federal government.”
After Hurricane Laura, the unit deployed to Bastrop, Louisiana, where residents had been cut off from essential services. “We set up internet, computers, and printers inside and outside the unit so more people could apply for assistance,” Augustine said. “We also distributed water and COVID supplies. People were so relieved to finally move forward.”
When not supporting disaster response, the M-Tech Unit fulfills its core mission of providing statewide certification training. Augustine said this dual role—education during normal times and response during disasters—makes the unit uniquely valuable. “It’s not just what we teach,” he said. “It’s how we show up for people when they need us most.”
While the M-Tech Unit operates within Southern University’s Extension programs, its work connects closely with national efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and community resilience. The Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN), a collaboration of land-grant universities that share research-based resources before, during, and after disasters, highlights programs like Southern’s to demonstrate how Extension supports recovery. Augustine hopes sharing the M-Tech model will inspire similar outreach in other states.
“We do a lot of extension work that may not be widely known,” he said. “EDEN could be a great platform to help more people learn about what we offer, and help other states consider similar models.”
With its innovative design and boots-on-the-ground approach, the M-Tech Unit stands as a model of how land-grant institutions can combine education and disaster resilience to meet community needs. As Augustine puts it: “Wherever we can help, we go.”
