First Responders and the Cajun Navy (2022)

Following 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, more Americans understood our heavy reliance on first responders. The COVID-19 pandemic further strengthened their public image and support, particularly for overstretched hospital staff coping with supply shortages.   

There are diverse first responders depending on types of emergencies and the different needs that many people can suddenly have. A long list of first responders would probably start with our military, police, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, civilian air rescuers, and specialists for handling riots, explosives/munitions, infectious diseases, and biological/chemical contaminations. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, and unusual weather events can require those with particular skills and experiences to arrive quickly and remain active for days and weeks.     

There are dedicated federal, state and local government employees, as well as trained military units, who respond when specific threats or dire events occur. Organizations are far from perfect, though, in the ability to forecast, plan, staff, and actually react quickly and effectively to every developing need in emergencies. Mistakes, overlaps, and gaps will often occur within and among responding organizations during crises. 

America has had a long history of neighbors helping neighbors when catastrophes strike. Here in Louisiana, hurricanes, tornadoes, and river flooding can present huge logistical nightmares. Sudden weather events can create human needs that overwhelm the ready resources of both government and third-sector organizations such as the Red Cross or United Way. Search and rescue missions to get victims to safety are often hampered by continuing weather conditions, accessibility constraints, and communication difficulties. 

Media accounts of the terrible suffering and loss of lives associated with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were often accompanied by more upbeat stories of the hundreds of area and state volunteers with boats who rescued those in flooded houses and on rooftops. These volunteers or “good Samaritans” became known as the “Cajun Navy.” 

Subsequent weather events, such as major state flooding of parts of Louisiana in 2016 and Hurricane Harvey in southeast Texas in 2017, drew some of the earlier Katrina volunteer responders and others to assist many survivors. Public opinion concerning the Cajun Navy was very positive and resulted in increasing private-sector and personal contributions to support and help compensate the expenses of these first responders.      

By 2018, a few negative news items were being reported about certain Cajun Navy operations. Rob Masson of WVUE Fox 8 New Orleans shared a Better Business Bureau warning about fund raising scams associated with at least several of the more than 30 groups with the title of Cajun Navy in their names and social media releases. The BBB apparently could not find evidence then that some were even charitable organizations. Checking for establishment of 501c3 non-profit charity status and for details of actual services and funds provided for previous victims, as reported on their websites and elsewhere, was advised prior to making donations.    

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Coast Guard, and other organizations formally responsible for disaster response and rescue appear to have had mixed reactions to volunteer efforts by some Cajun Navy outfits. Issues of adequate responder training have been raised, as well as appropriate communication with authorities to avoid duplication, hindrance, or mistakes in emergency call responses.  

Some Cajun Navy organizations have garnered much higher levels of public approval and respect than others over the past five years. Recent disasters, particularly Hurricane Ian in southwest Florida, have led to higher visibility for two of these Cajun Navy organizations. Videos of their rescues and supplies being distributed by them to the needy have aired on national media, along with interviews of their leaders or spokespersons. The United Cajun Navy and the Cajun Navy Ground Force appear to have made substantial contributions to Hurricane Ian survivors. The former has chapters and volunteers in many states, and both have established track records of rescues and assistance well beyond the borders of Louisiana.  

             Cajun Navy Ground Force Distributing Supplies in Fort Meyers [The Weather Channel]

Another search-and-rescue group attracting attention during and after Hurricane Ian was Tampa-based Project Dynamo. This organization, led by and largely composed of ex-military veterans, typically works overseas in conflicts such as in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Credited with successfully undertaking thousands of rescue missions previously, Project Dynamo started in the Sanibel and Naples areas by getting boats to those needing water, MREs, and pet supplies.  

Of course, some recreational Louisiana boaters, Cajun or not, aren’t that keen on the formal structures, policies and procedures of established rescue groups. They respond to developing local or area emergencies on an ad hoc basis, or when they feel really needed. This occasional sacrifice of personal resources for the benefit of suffering others defines an essential quality for the continuing survival of humankind. When we count our blessings at Thanksgiving or otherwise, volunteer first responders should be high on our short list.