The Cajun Navies are informal ad-hoc volunteer groups comprising private boat owners who assist in search and rescue efforts in Louisiana and adjacent areas. These groups were formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and reactivated in the aftermaths of the 2016 Louisiana floods, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, the 2018 Hidalgo County flood, Hurricane Florence, Tropical Storm Gordon, and Hurricane Michael. They are credited with rescuing thousands of citizens during those disasters.
These groups draw their name from the region’s Cajun people, a significant number of whom are private boat owners and skilled boat pilots. Their boats consist of a number of types, but are typically small vessels such as bass boats, jonboats, air boats, and other small, shallow-draft craft easily transported to flooded areas.
Source: Wikipedia
Former Louisiana state senator Nick Gautreaux put out a plea across local television and radio for “Anybody [who] wants to go help the people of New Orleans please come to the Acadiana Mall.” Between 350 and 400 boats and people showed up. This makeshift flotilla that became known as the Cajun Navy is credited with rescuing more than 10,000 people from flooded homes and rooftops.
South-central Louisiana flood (2016)
In 2016, major flooding struck south-central Louisiana, resulting in even more attention for the informal rescue organization. “[Makeshift flotillas popped up across the region over the weekend,” observed USA Today during the disaster. “Many are operating under a name familiar in Louisiana: the Cajun Navy.”[ Fortune magazine noted, “In the midst of one of the most severe (yet least-reported) natural disasters in recent history, a homegrown volunteer rescue squad known as the Cajun Navy is providing badly needed relief in flood-ravaged Louisiana.” The Baton Rouge Advocate summed up the feelings of many when it wrote: “The heroes hailed from the Cajun Navy, the nickname for an impromptu flotilla of volunteers who had no admiral, no uniforms, no military medals awaiting them for acts of valor. It was conscience, not a commanding officer, that summoned them into treacherous currents to carry endangered citizens to higher ground.”
Source: Wikipedia
What They Need…
- New Boats
- Blankets
- Bottled Water
- Healthy Snacks
- Rope
- Hardware Items
- Ladders
- Anchors
- Weather Proof Clothing
and Shoes
- Instant Coffee and Creamer
- Coolers
- Gift Cards For Restaurants
- Life Preservers
- First-Aid Kits
- Bandages
- Hiking Boots/Rain Boots
- Gas Cards
- Gas Containers
- Boat Oils
- Generators
- Tents
- Water Proof Tarps
- Zip Ties
- Bungee Cords
- Water Proof Cell Phones
- Announcement Speakers
- Fog Horns
- Energy Drinks
- Work Gloves
We will be announcing our food and beverage industry campaigns in early 2020.