It was an historic hurricane season. With Harvey battering the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast and Irma strafing the length of Florida, damage from high winds and flooding was catastrophic.
It is in such trying times that the American spirit shines. Harvey slammed ashore near Rockport, Texas on Aug. 25 and stalled out over southeast Texas, dropping up to 52 inches of rain over the next five days. The flooding was cataclysmic. Major highways turned to rivers and much of the Houston area was under water.
Even as floodwaters rose, lines began forming on the sides of the highway. These were volunteers headed into the deluge to launch boats from freeway off-ramps. It looked like the launch line for the world’s largest fishing tournament.
It was a proud moment for the fishing community. Anglers from all over the region rushed to the rescue pulling bass boats, jonboats and skiffs. Dubbed the Cajun Navy, this rag-tag bunch of heroes— along with official emergency response—conducted thousands of water recues.
And response from the fishing and boating industries was strong as well. The following are few examples of how the fishing industry stepped in with a helping hand.
Confluence Outdoors leaped into action as the magnitude of the flooding became clear. They overnighted a semi-truck load of Wilderness Systems and Perception kayaks to Houston. The boats, as well as paddles and PFDs provided by Confluence, were used in high-water rescue by Houston authorities.
Honda went to work moving needed products like generators and water pumps to affected areas. And while Honda dealers went to work in rescue efforts, Honda Marine went to work making sure those dealers were stocked up to serve their communities with vital equipment. Additionally, Honda pledged $100,000 to the American Red Cross. The pledge will consist of a corporate contribution as well as a dollar-for-dollar matching gift program for Honda associate contributions.
Evinrude immediately donated a boat and motor to a volunteer fire department in Lockport, Texas. The second phase of their relief effort was to deploy a wave of engines to area boatbuilders as well as food and clothing. Evinrude also agreed to match dollar-for-dollar donations to the American Red Cross made by employees.
Suzuki, through its Texas dealers, donated boats, motors, ATVs and time to the rescue efforts. In addition, Suzuki provided two outboards to rescue efforts for Carolina Skiff boats that were on their way to Ron Hoover Marine, which has multiple locations in the affected area.
Orvis recognized an immediate need for rain gear and wading gear. As well as supplying as many as they could, Orvis put the call out for individuals to ship waders, boots and rain jackets to the San Antonio Orvis location for distribution to rescue personnel.
Platypus Fishing Line pledged to donate 100 percent of its website profits in September to the Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund.
The storms and damage from this season’s hurricanes were enormous, and so was the outpouring of support. As anglers and boaters, we should be proud of the response from our community.