New Orleans and numerous other towns and cities along the gulf coast of Louisiana and Mississippi were devastated this weekend by Hurricane Ida, as the Category 4 storm ripped through the area causing flooding, physical destruction of homes and property, and widespread power outages.
As the storm passed and moved inland, the initial rescue efforts began in the areas that were hit the hardest, like LaPlace, Louisiana, as first responders and citizen groups like the Cajun Navy went out to try and rescue those trapped in their homes from rising floodwaters. In the coming days and weeks, a more full understanding of the devastation the region has faced from the storm will become clearer, but what is known right now is there is lots of work to do and many people who will be in need of significant assistance in rebuilding and recovering from another major hurricane.
On Monday, the New Orleans Pelicans and Saints released a statement offering support for the community and those who have been most effected by the storm, while also launching the Gulf Coast Renewal Fund, which will be seeded first by a $1 million donation from Pelicans and Saints owner Gayle Benson.
We want to do everything within our power to assist those who have been impacted by the storm and have activated our Gulf Coast Renewal Fund, with Gayle Benson making an initial donation of $1 million to support our community throughout Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Those wishing to donate can do so by going to Pelicans.com/hurricaneida. More details on the fund and other initiatives will be provided in the coming days.
The GCRF will allocate funds to local organizations working in the community to help with disaster relief, and they promise more information and details will come soon. The statement also says that the Saints and Pelicans physical facilities, including the Caesars Superdome and Smoothie King Center, sustained only “superficial” damage and the teams have offered up the facilities for any governmental relief efforts, with the Pelicans practice facility being used by FEMA for staging purposes.