As South Louisiana and the Gulf Coast begin to assess the significant damage inflicted by Hurricane Ida, please know our prayers are with all of those who have suffered from the impacts of this historical storm. We have great faith in the resilience and strength of our community and look forward to doing everything in our power to help lead in the recovery.
We know there is much work to be done to restore power and other infrastructure. We have been in touch with government leaders at every level to offer any assistance we can, including the use of any of our facilities - all of which have sustained only superficial damage. FEMA has accepted that offer and will be using portions of our Ochsner Sports Performance Center to stage their assistance efforts.
Most important, we want to do everything within our power to assist those who have been impacted by the storm and have activated our Gulf Coast Renewal Fund, with Gayle Benson making an initial donation of $1 million to support our community throughout Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Those wishing to donate can do so by going to Pelicans.com/hurricaneida. More details on the fund and other initiatives will be provided in the coming days.
Our team and staff are all safe, for which we are very grateful. We look forward to beginning our training for the upcoming season in New Orleans as soon as our government leaders say it is safe to do so. Fortunately, the Smoothie King Center received only minor exterior damage and will be prepared to host games for the upcoming season without issue. We greatly look forward to representing our city, state and region this season as we work together to restore our community. We know how much winning games can unite and inspire people in our region and we can’t wait to take advantage of that responsibility and opportunity.
Together, we will overcome this challenge the way we have so many times before and will be stronger as a result.