Disaster Response Guide: What to Do When Disaster Strikes
The United Cajun Navy has conducted thousands of rescues across the United States since our founding. This guide explains how we operate, what types of disasters we respond to, how residents can request help, and how communities can prepare before the next emergency arrives. Understanding these steps can save lives — including your own.
Who Is the United Cajun Navy?
The United Cajun Navy (UCN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit volunteer organization founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by Todd Terrell after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. What began as a grassroots effort by boat owners and everyday citizens determined to save their neighbors has grown into one of the largest and most effective volunteer disaster response networks in the United States.
Our organization brings together an extraordinary coalition of volunteers — experienced boaters, truck operators, ATV riders, nurses, chaplains, logistics coordinators, and community organizers — united by a single mission: to respond rapidly when disaster strikes and government resources cannot reach everyone in need. We operate two primary divisions: Cajun Paws, focused on animal rescue, and Cajun Hands, focused on humanitarian relief and community rebuilding.
Since our founding, UCN volunteers have participated in rescue and relief operations following hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and severe winter storms from the Carolinas to California. We maintain supply warehouses across the country, deploy mobile command centers to active disaster zones, and coordinate with local emergency management agencies to fill the gaps where official resources are stretched beyond capacity.
The UCN is entirely volunteer-driven and donation-funded. Every dollar donated goes directly to fueling trucks, deploying boats, purchasing emergency supplies, and enabling our teams to reach the people who need help most. We receive no government funding and rely entirely on the generosity of individuals, churches, businesses, and community groups who believe in our mission.
What to Do When Disaster Strikes
Follow these steps to maximize your safety and ensure the fastest possible rescue response.
Step 1: Call 911 First
In any life-threatening emergency, your first call should always be to 911. Local emergency services coordinate official fire, police, and EMS response and can dispatch the fastest available resources to your location.
Step 2: Request UCN Assistance
When official resources are overwhelmed — as they often are during large-scale disasters like hurricanes and floods — submit a rescue request to the United Cajun Navy. Our volunteer teams fill the gaps where government agencies cannot reach.
Step 3: Stay in Contact
After submitting a request, keep your phone charged and nearby. Our dispatch coordinators will call to confirm your location, assess the severity of your situation, and provide an estimated arrival window for the nearest available team.
Step 4: Help Your Neighbors
If you are safe and able, check on elderly or disabled neighbors who may not have access to communication devices. Report their needs to our dispatch team so we can prioritize the most vulnerable members of your community.
Types of Disasters We Respond To
UCN teams are trained and equipped for a wide range of natural disasters across the United States.
Hurricanes & Tropical Storms
The United Cajun Navy was forged in the wake of hurricanes. Our teams are trained to conduct swift-water rescues, clear debris, and distribute emergency supplies across coastal and inland communities affected by tropical weather systems.
Flooding & Flash Floods
Floods are the most common and deadly natural disaster in the United States. UCN's boat operators and water rescue specialists can navigate submerged roads, extract stranded residents, and provide evacuation support when roads are impassable.
Tornadoes
Tornado response requires rapid mobilization to search debris fields, conduct welfare checks, and deliver immediate relief supplies. Our teams have responded to tornado outbreaks across Mississippi, Alabama, and throughout the American South.
Wildfires
Through partnerships with the Dream Center in Los Angeles and other faith-based organizations, UCN has expanded wildfire relief operations to the West Coast, providing PPE, evacuation support, and post-fire community recovery assistance.
Winter Storms
Severe winter weather leaves vulnerable populations without heat, food, and safe shelter. UCN delivers warm clothing, portable heaters, winterized campers, and food supplies to storm-impacted communities across the country.
How to Prepare Before the Next Disaster
The best time to prepare for a disaster is before one occurs. UCN volunteers consistently report that residents who have basic emergency supplies, a family communication plan, and an awareness of local hazards are far better positioned to survive and recover quickly.
- Maintain a 72-hour emergency kit with water, non-perishable food, medications, and first aid supplies.
- Know your local evacuation routes and have a designated out-of-area contact your family can check in with.
- Keep important documents — insurance policies, IDs, medical records — in a waterproof, portable container.
- Charge portable battery banks regularly and keep a hand-crank or battery-powered weather radio available.
- Register medically vulnerable household members with your local emergency management office for priority evacuation assistance.
- Connect with neighbors and form a block-level check-in system so no one is left behind during an evacuation.