Coast Guard Foundation activates Disaster Relief Grant Program
by Jennifer Crowley Fyke 1 Sep 2020 14:54 BST
Rear Adm. John Nadeau, Coast Guard Eighth District commander, conducts a post-storm overflight, along with other members of the district, aboard an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane over Lake Charles, Louisiana after Hurricane Laura, August 27 © Petty Officer 3rd Class Sydney Phoenix
The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to strengthening the Coast Guard community and service by supporting members and families, announced today the activation of its disaster relief grant program to assist Coast Guard members impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Laura.
The activation is a result of reports from Louisiana and Texas that Coast Guard members living in affected areas suffered personal property loss, including damage to homes and vehicles, as a result of Hurricane Laura. In particular, we have learned of Coast Guard families in the Port Arthur, Texas and Lake Charles, Louisiana areas with significant losses. Coast Guard units that responded to the storm will receive additional relief and response support to help boost morale and strengthen readiness following a long week of coordinating and facilitating rescues, port and waterway openings and maritime environmental response.
The Coast Guard Foundation has mobilized its supporter base to assist Coast Guard members and families impacted by natural disasters since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. In recent years, the Foundation has distributed $2 million to support Coast Guard members impacted in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico following the 2017 hurricane season, and those affected by the wildfires in California.
"The destruction to this region that this powerful storm has left behind is unimaginable," said Susan Ludwig, president, Coast Guard Foundation. "In these challenging times the brave men and women of the Coast Guard units that responded to the storm will receive additional relief and response support to help boost morale and strengthen readiness. We are here to support their families and community so that they can focus on their vital mission."
The Coast Guard Foundation, in partnership with the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA), will immediately distribute relief support to those who qualify.
For more information on the Coast Guard efforts following Hurricane Laura, visit: coastguardfoundation.org/news/hurricane-laura-coast-guard-families-need-us.
To support the Coast Guard Foundation's emergency response and disaster relief work, please visit: www.coastguardfoundation.org/disaster-response.
To learn more about the Coast Guard Foundation, or to help support its work, please visit www.coastguardfoundation.org or call (860) 535-0786.