BEAUMONT, Texas — Experts said more than 20 disasters happen in the US annually, causing millions of dollars in damages and leaving families across the nation with nothing.
There are still families in Southeast Texas who are in recovery mode after the devastation Harvey brought to the area five years ago.
Numerous organizations stepped up to help Southeast Texans in need. One organization that helped was the Cajun Navy.
The Cajun Navy is a group of disaster responder volunteers from all over the US. The group was founded in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit.
Members of the Cajun Navy Ground Force said if it means rescuing families, they are ready to help. According to the organization's founder, the Cajun Navy has helped more 4,000 families.
“We really gained prominence in the 2016 flooding respond to hurricane Harvey,” Rob Gaudet, founder of Cajun Navy Ground Force, said.
The year before Harvey impacted the area, the Cajun Navy was in Louisiana rescuing families. When Harvey hit the area, many families were left with nothing.
“I've heard stories of individuals carrying bricks around, truly their darkest hour,” Gaudet said.
Gaudet believes natural disasters have hit Southeast Texas hard and heavily impacted the area.
"Katrina and Harvey, the two top disasters in our history,” Gaudet said. “That's what we're building here in the Cajun Navy."
Members of the organization are currently in Kentucky helping families to rebuild, while simultaneously growing and preparing for any future disasters.
"We'll do this next year,” Gaudet said. “We're talking to Tulane about putting training in place. Citizen training is one of the things we're looking at putting in place."
The Cajun Navy is working on recruiting at least 1,000 more volunteers, who are willing to dedicate one week a year to help. Anyone who has questions on how they can get involved can go to the organization's website.