Ida Relief
The Cajun Navy Ground Force members muck and gut a home.
Cajun Navy Ground Force helps communities come back after natural disasters Story by Janet Marcel
Since the morning after Hurricane Ida’s devastating winds ripped through this area, the Cajun Navy Ground Force has been working alongside Diocese of HoumaThibodaux personnel and volunteers to assist its most impacted victims. “Personnel and volunteers from Cajun Navy Ground Force and the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux went out into the communities together to help families muck out houses, save memorabilia, and tear down homes to the studs so they can rebuild. The Diocese of HoumaThibodaux has graciously been providing extra hands and opportunities to Cajun Navy Ground Force as we continue to help those affected by Hurricane Ida,” says Bobbi Grace Hebermehl, director of Information Systems for the Cajun Navy Ground Force. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization that specializes in disaster relief, Cajun Navy Ground Force was established in 2016 during the historic Louisiana floods that hit Baton Rouge and many of the surrounding communities. Since that time, the Cajun Navy Ground Force has traveled to many areas across Louisiana and Texas helping communities come back stronger after each natural disaster, while providing a sense of normalcy during the recovery stages. 42 • Bayou Catholic • Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux • January 2022
“We are a citizen-led non-profit that provides supplemental supply distribution and medical care services, acts as community caretakers as we help muck out homes and remove debris for communities in crisis following natural disasters,” says Hebermehl. “The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux has been a huge help in expanding the positive impact we’ve made across many communities since we arrived, by combining our volunteer base and ticket requests,” says Hebermehl. Diocesan leadership also ensured that the long-term volunteers of Cajun Navy Ground Force were taken care of during their stay, by housing them at the Lumen Christi Retreat Center in Schriever. Hebermehl says they will stay in the area as long as there is still work to be done. “As community caretakers, we are so grateful for the opportunity to build these connections and help families down here recover,” says Hebermehl. “We will continue to be down here until there’s no longer a need for it, because Cajun Navy Ground Force stays even after the storm hits to help rebuild these communities and continue to provide a little sense of normalcy during these difficult times.”
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