Cajun Navy Ready to Start Rescue Work in Louisiana As Soon As Hurricane Ida Winds Slow Down

As Hurricane Ida battered the Louisiana coast Sunday, preparations were underway for rescue and relief work that will be needed in the aftermath of the Category 4 storm. Thousands of National Guard members and FEMA personnel will be deployed by the federal government, plus relief workers with state and local governments — and groups of volunteers known as the “Cajun Navy.”

Comprised of fishermen, retired military members, and other private boat owners, Cajun Navy volunteers have saved countless lives after hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters in Louisiana and nearby Gulf Coast states. They gained more widespread recognition after Hurricane Harvey in 2017, when they performed more than 5,000 rescues in Houston, Texas and the surrounding areas.

Todd Terrell, the president of one of the largest groups, the United Cajun Navy, spoke with CNN’s Jim Acosta on Sunday about the damage caused so far by Hurricane Ida and how his group was preparing.

Acosta asked Terrell for his assessment of the storm, noting that Ida was moving through Louisiana slowly, battering the state with its high winds and torrential rains, “just devastating.”

Terrell noted that the initial forecasts were that Ida would hit at around 140 miles an hour (a Category 4 storm) and then immediately decrease, but “it appears it stayed pretty strong.”

His group was already getting reports of pumps being out, roofs being blown off houses, and people sending them messages over social media requesting help.

“It’s a dire situation down here right now,” said Terrell. “And it’s only going to get worse if it even goes on.”

“Is it your sense, Todd, this is worse than what we anticipated, that the conditions may be more intense and longer lasting than we anticipated?” asked Acosta.

“I think it’s definitely longer lasting,” Terrell replied. “I think the storm is stronger than they anticipated,” with the 140 mph winds still continuing as the storm progressed inland.

Acosta asked Terrell to describe the current status of the Cajun Navy operations, and what they planned to do when it was safe to move out.

“You know, in Louisiana, we have a lot of guys that are commercial fishermen in these areas,” said Terrell. “Some of them stayed down there to be with their boats. They figured if the boat goes down, then they just don’t want to be around anymore.”

These fishermen, Terrell explained, were sending them reports on what was happening in their areas. But the winds were “still too high to do any kind of serious rescue operations,” so “right now, we’re just kind of gathering facts.”

“We’re expecting to start doing some rescues and recoveries starting around dark,” he said, noting that the large amount of debris in the roads was one of the challenges they were anticipating.

” Todd, that sounds like a long night for you and your team,” said Acosta. “We’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Thanks for your help in getting information out to the people. We appreciate it. And thank you.”

The United Cajun Navy posted a request for volunteers on their Facebook page, needing help from not just boaters, but those who could help load and unload supplies.

In another Facebook post shortly after 6 pm CT, the group reported they were getting “some very heart wrenching requests for help,” but it was “far too dangerous to send our teams in” for the next several hours, but they “will deploy as soon as safely possible.”

Friends, we’re getting some very heart wrenching requests for help in areas near the #ida ? eyewall. Please understand that she is still a category 3 with sustained winds of 125+mph. It is far too dangerous to send our teams in and that will likely be true for at least the next 12 hours. Rest assured that we will deploy as soon as safely possible.

Watch the video above, via CNN.