Hornets Believe: Hurricane Gustav Relief
September 12, 2008
Although much of the perception nationally was that New Orleans and Louisiana emerged unscathed from damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, that wasn’t the case in some areas of the Gulf South. To understand the impact Gustav had on the city of Houma, La., for example, all one has to do is travel west along Route 90.
On one stretch of highway, if you look to your left, you will see countless downed trees and limbs that were snapped as a result of hurricane winds. You’ll also view enormous billboards and their posts that were toppled by the force of the storm, and are now resting on the roofs of adjacent businesses or perched precariously atop power lines.
Many residents in Houma’s Terrebonne Parish are still without power in their homes and are in need of supplies, food or water. As a result, the Salvation Army established a massive hurricane-relief station at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center.
As part of its ongoing efforts in recovery from Hurricane Gustav, the entire Hornets organization spent Wednesday working in Houma – about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans – to help serve and distribute food, water and other supplies to local residents. On Thursday, the Hornets visited nearby Galliano, La., to assist with another Salvation Army hurricane-relief effort, at the Wal-Mart store on Highway 235. The Hornets’ participation this week continued Friday at the Dryades YMCA in New Orleans, where the team provided 400 families affected by the storm with boxes of food and personal care items.
“Even going back to when the team was in North Carolina, we’ve been through hurricanes a number of times,” said Hornets owner George Shinn, who helped lead a large group of team employees and personally handed out to food to passengers in cars. “We feel like this is part of our mission as an organization, to reach out and help those in need. After driving down here, you just can’t get over how strong the winds must have been, especially when you see how large some of the signs that were moved are. It must have been terrifying to be here and go through that.”
Along with Shinn and his son, Chad, team president Hugh Weber, head coach Byron Scott, players Julian Wright and Rasual Butler, mascot Hugo the Hornet, Honeybees dance team members and over 100 team employees assisted in the Gustav relief efforts.
“It’s something we’ve always done, and something we always we do,” Shinn said of the organization’s focus on community assistance. “We want people to know that we care and that we will always be there for them in times like this.”
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On one stretch of highway, if you look to your left, you will see countless downed trees and limbs that were snapped as a result of hurricane winds. You’ll also view enormous billboards and their posts that were toppled by the force of the storm, and are now resting on the roofs of adjacent businesses or perched precariously atop power lines.
Many residents in Houma’s Terrebonne Parish are still without power in their homes and are in need of supplies, food or water. As a result, the Salvation Army established a massive hurricane-relief station at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center.
As part of its ongoing efforts in recovery from Hurricane Gustav, the entire Hornets organization spent Wednesday working in Houma – about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans – to help serve and distribute food, water and other supplies to local residents. On Thursday, the Hornets visited nearby Galliano, La., to assist with another Salvation Army hurricane-relief effort, at the Wal-Mart store on Highway 235. The Hornets’ participation this week continued Friday at the Dryades YMCA in New Orleans, where the team provided 400 families affected by the storm with boxes of food and personal care items.
“Even going back to when the team was in North Carolina, we’ve been through hurricanes a number of times,” said Hornets owner George Shinn, who helped lead a large group of team employees and personally handed out to food to passengers in cars. “We feel like this is part of our mission as an organization, to reach out and help those in need. After driving down here, you just can’t get over how strong the winds must have been, especially when you see how large some of the signs that were moved are. It must have been terrifying to be here and go through that.”
Along with Shinn and his son, Chad, team president Hugh Weber, head coach Byron Scott, players Julian Wright and Rasual Butler, mascot Hugo the Hornet, Honeybees dance team members and over 100 team employees assisted in the Gustav relief efforts.
“It’s something we’ve always done, and something we always we do,” Shinn said of the organization’s focus on community assistance. “We want people to know that we care and that we will always be there for them in times like this.”
