HURRICANE IDALIA
August 30, 2023 Madison County, FL
Ground Force immediately responded to the needs of our Florida neighbors affected by Hurricane Idalia, setting up a SAFE camp and distributing hot meals within hours. We collaborated with local and national organizations, as well as individuals, to provide critical supplies, food, and water to the community. Our medical and mental health team prioritized the vulnerable elderly and shut-ins who were at high risk due to prolonged lack of water and electricity. Overall, our impact in Madison was significant, ensuring the well-being and safety of those affected by the hurricane.
CN Ground Force collaborated with numerous local community organizations to help establish their distribution sites and scale up their efforts using our SAFE Camp model, and Bigs to Bags method:
- 14,000 hot meals served in 9 days
- $704,941.46 dollars in-kind (271,231 pounds) of critical supplies, food and water distributed
- 437 volunteers recruited a total of 3,419 volunteer hours = $100,552.79 FEMA credits back into the community
- Volunteers provided meals and supplies to 52 residents at a local assisted living facility, a Pregnancy Center, and an elementary school
- Supported the local sheriff’s department, Humane Society, and Windhorse Sanctuary with pallets of animal food and cleaning supplies
- 11 in home mental health and wellness checks by CN Ground Force volunteer nurses were performed. Food and meals were provided to elderly and shut-in survivors living in post storm conditions – extreme heat, no running water, no electricity, food or water 12 days post storm. Our nurses continue to follow up on these survivors
- 71 homes gutted, cleaned and trees and debris cleared = $365,500.00 value of essential services to SURVIVORS at no cost. We are currently hosting an NCCC Americorps team a alongside community volunteers to expand these clean up efforts
Cajun Navy Ground Force’s SAFE camp supports communities and provides them a SAFE place to come together to serve one another, heal and rebuild their lives after a shared tragedy. Neighbors who were once strangers, now have a lasting connection, they become family and life time friends. We eventually have to go home, but the goodwill continues after we are gone.
Our team members and volunteers devote extensive hours and make personal sacrifices to uplift survivors. We are motivated not by the desire for recognition or gratitude, but by a deep sense of responsibility towards our fellow human beings. Our aim is always to leave a community in an improved state compared to when we arrived. We believe that even the smallest acts of kindness, such as a warm smile or a timely hug, can have a profound impact on someone’s life. This movement is rooted in the power to illuminate the darkest moments by radiating our own light.
