Via IJR:
Since historic flooding hit Louisiana last week, killing 13 people, thousands of residents were evacuated and roughly 40,000 homes have been affected by the downpour.
President Barack Obama signed a major disaster declaration Sunday, and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is reportedly visiting flooded areas in Louisiana Thursday to review the Federal response.
But unlike Hurricane Katrina, which had media flocking to cover the hard-hit city of New Orleans, Baton Rouge resident, Rob Gaudet, tells Independent Journal Review news coverage hasn’t been nearly what it should be:
The media hasn’t been covering this like Katrina, they haven’t even given this flood a name. They need people stranded on rooftops to have it sensationalized, but the story we have to share is people saving each other.”
Gaudet would know. He’s the point man for the Cajun Navy, a group of volunteers which formed via social media in response to the recent flooding.
Gaudet explains that the Cajun Navy is comprised of dozens of volunteers from Louisiana and Mississippi, with about 60 boats to help rescue those in need. They’re also working with the local authorities, with Louisiana deputies on board every one in three boats to assist their team.
They are fueled by nothing more than a steadfast commitment to helping their neighbors and are using two apps to navigate their rescue missions — Zello, which is a central dispatch communication system and Glympse, which allows them to geolocate stranded victims.