SAFE CAMP
Imagine going to the hospital or Emergency Room and only dealing with doctors, there are NO nurses. That’s the way traditional Disaster Response has been handled for centuries.
Lots of specialists show up for a short period of time and then move on to the next disaster leaving a person in crisis to fend for themselves. The Cajun Navy Ground Force’s mission is to be the nurses who stay behind and check in on you, make sure you’re okay, assist in whatever way you need until you regain control of your life. We’ll get to know your mama, bring you to the pharmacy, re-tarp your tattered roof, pull you out of flood waters and go feed your dog for you while you are in recovery.
I say this, to say there is room for everyone! We have a new way of looking at disasters and it’s enabled through everyday technologies like social media.
Local leaders, National Emergency Response, and even the bigger nonprofits are all important. As is the everyday citizen, which is the Cajun Navy Ground Force. We envision you as being a part of the team. If you are a citizen who can help, Ground Force is a platform for you to do so. We’re not really a membership organization, we are a way for good people who want to help others to easily do so.
We have been successful by creating a way for any volunteer who wants to help to show up and have a place to live and get fed while they help. There’s very little overhead and what we do, we simply roll up our sleeves and get to work. That is made possible through social media, mobile technology, armchair warriors working from home, and the amazing volunteers who show up every day to help.
We have been on the ground with volunteers continuously, working every single day including Christmas and Thanksgiving, since 2 days before hurricane Laura. Our platform enabled volunteers, who we refer to as Community Caretakers, to serve over 50,000 meals in 18 days. We cleared hundreds of homes from fallen trees and debris. We cleared dozens of miles of roads and routes for citizens to be able to get back to their homes. On day one, we were stationed in the Walmart parking lot with no air conditioning and no shelter for 10 days. Our team of Community Caretakers operated chainsaws, collected and distributed much needed supplies like water, diapers, food, gasoline, generators, and so much more.
From that effort, we have developed a way to supplement communities in the aftermath of a disaster. We call it a SAFE Camp. Swift Action Force Emergency Camp. Think MASH. We actually formulated the idea while serving in Lake Charles, and learning the MASH concept was developed by Lake Charles’ very own surgeon Michael Debakey.
We reorganize and relocate our operations based on current needs, but we will never let the community down.
NONE of this is possible unless you donate to support us. Your financial contributions have powered our mission from the beginning. We need your continued financial support as we prepare for the future.
Donate now, every dollar helps! www.gocajunnavy.org/donate
