Cajun Navy Ground Force Seeking Search-and-Rescue Volunteers

If you want to help the people of Southeastern Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, here is your chance.

The Cajun Navy Ground Force is seeking volunteers to go into Terrebonne Parish, Lafourche Parish, and other hard-hit areas to search for and rescue survivors and to provide other post-storm assistance. The group will stage at 8 a.m. Monday at 100 Southpark Road in Lafayette. Volunteers are asked to sign up ahead of the Cajun Navy deploying to the hurricane zone. To sign up, go to crowdrelief.net.

According to KATC's Scott Brazda, volunteers are asked to bring at least four days of food and clothing with them. Volunteers are also asked to bring chainsaws if they have access to them and/or gasoline. In addition, volunteers will need to have proof of COVID vaccination with them in order to go on the mission.

When asked if the Cajun Navy Ground Force will accept donations from the community at the staging site, Brazda said he did not know. However, he said he would not think the organization would turn away any donations of food or supplies.

Brazda spoke with KPEL's Ian Auzenne about the Cajun Navy Ground Force's efforts, as well as his experience reporting on the storm and his own family's experience with Hurricane Ida.

Hurricane Ida made landfall in the Terrebonne/Lafourche area Sunday, bringing catastrophic winds and storm surge to the area. The storm's surge also inundated Grand Isle, where homes and other buildings, like the fire department, took on several feet of water.

More than 4,000 National Guardsmen are at the ready, awaiting orders to deploy to some of the hardest-hit areas to begin their search-and-rescue efforts.