By Kate Bickford | Development Director
On September 13th, 2021, Fuel Relief Fund wrapped up our Hurricane Ida response in Louisiana. With the money raised, we were able to give away 32,914 gallons of free fuel to the public and to other first responders and aid agencies. In total, the fuel we distributed over the course of our response benefited over 25,000 people. This work would not have been possible without the generous support of GlobalGiving and donors like you.
When we deployed on August 31st to the hardest hit areas of Louisiana - Terrebone and Lafourche Parishes - nearly one million people were without power and access to fuel. The fuel shortage severely hindered rescue and aid efforts and posed a dangerous situation for those who needed fuel to power generators in the rising heat.
At our base of operations in Golden Meadow, Louisiana, we set up a fuel tank (generously lent to us by Sun Coast Resources) where hurricane survivors lined up to receive five gallons of fuel per household. Our team also traveled to some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in southern Louisana to deliver fuel to individuals at their homes.
As we wrapped up our first week in the field, the Louisiana Governor's office requested FRF's assistance distributing tens of thousands of gallons of fuel that Chevron donated to the relief effort. With the use of the Sun Coast tanker, FRF was able to distribute an additional 20,000 gallons of fuel to the residents of Golden Meadow.
This fuel allowed residents to use generators to cool and light their homes, power refrigerators, charge phones, and cook food. It enabled rescue workers to power their vehicles and hospitals to administer life-saving treatment.
In the words of one beneficiary:
“We lost everything completely... these people out here are helping us so much with gas. The gas is really a big issue. Not everybody has money right now and we need it for other things. But this Fuel Relief Fund, they are very helpful. I couldn’t be more blessed.”
Once more, we thank you for your trust and generosity. If you would like to continue to support us, please consider giving to the FRF Core Fund which makes it possible for Fuel Relief Fund to respond smarter, faster, and stronger to future disasters.
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