The safety of the people shall be the highest law.
THE MISSISSIPPI IS MIGHTY
The force of the river is indescribable and at times is a fierce opponent for the business of the river. River Pilots are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ready to mitigate any circumstances that arise on the river. There are also times when circumstances call us to serve others in the maritime community and within the communities we live.
HURRICANE RESPONSE
The unpredictability of mother nature leaves Louisiana vulnerable to potentially devastating affects. This was never more evident than in 2005 when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita landed causing catastrophic conditions far greater than the United States had ever experienced. River pilots are called upon to coordinate with the Coast Guard and other authorities to resolve the significant dangers such storms impose, as well as, to determine measures for reopening the river for business.
Diagnosed with terminal cancer a man unaware of the danger chooses to spend his last days on the Mississippi River. Hearing of some of Phillips’ dangerous run-ins with other boats, Crescent Pilots installed a tracking system on his houseboat, “Shameless”. Cooper T. Smith Stevedoring and others helped with the installation which took place at Algiers Point, the system enables Phillips to see what vessels are headed his way, and vice versa, so no one is caught off-guard.
Crescent Pilots join Plaquemines Parish Officials to reach out and feed first responders after major flooding. Paramedics, emergency medical technicians, firefighters and other first responders were working out of temporary locations while flooded city-parish buildings dried out and underwent renovations.
COAST GUARD SHUTDOWN
We depend on the Coast Guard to defend and protect Louisiana’s port system and this is no small feat. We are a port of national and international significance with ocean cargo activity generating $5 trillion in total U.S. economic activity and the Mississippi River providing 2.4 million jobs. Not to mention the necessity of keeping our waterways safe for fisherman and hunters. Protection of our waterways is no small feat for the people of the Coast Guard. When the government shuts down it places these men, women and families in a vulnerable position. Knowing these folks were going without a pay check for weeks on end is something we couldn’t ignore. We decided to help.
Service. Patriotism. Camaraderie. The American Legion Post 329 stays on the move in the community providing wholesome programs and advocating for our veterans and children in need. Christmas and Easter time both come with a need to provide for abused and neglected children that are not in the care of their families. Veterans receive gift cards and care packages with toiletries and small necessities. Elderly and needy are invited to a community sponsored Thanksgiving dinner.
Turning a hero’s hardship into a home. Operation Finally Home serves provides mortgage-free homes to America’s military heroes and the widows of the fallen, those who have worn America’s uniform and sacrificed so much to defend our freedoms and values.
Making room for hope. Hotel Hope helps families go from homelessness to self-sufficiency by providing crisis intervention services, residential stability and help in achieving economic self-sufficiency. Our work is accomplished through a range of support services, including literacy and job training, healthcare intervention, life skills training and individual counseling services.
