Supporting the Hurricane Katrina Effort

The devastating destruction and subsequent cleanup of Hurricane Katrina have been the leading news stories for weeks now, and Crown Worldwide joined in the effort from the very beginning. Crown’s U.S. branches are pulling together to help those in need and have organized their efforts under the moniker "Operation Gulf Region."

These efforts are extensive and include offering warehouse space in Houston, Texas for recovery efforts; organizing with a pet shipping company to haul a truck load of pet supplies to Baton Rouge, Louisiana; arranging a clothing drive that consists of donating clothing, shoes and linens and helping to find temporary housing for victims of the tragedy.

Crown is also donating money collected from its branches to The Red Cross and Save the Children. “The United States is launching the largest mobilization of resources we have ever seen for a single natural disaster,” said Brian Valentine Chief Operating Officer, North America. “Crown is mobilizing on all fronts to bring relief to storm victims, both as a company and as individuals.”

On an individual level, one of Crown’s employees, Nick Cheesman, volunteered to work for two straight days at the Houston Astrodome in Texas. Following is his local perspective.

“After hearing on the 10:00 o'clock news that they had shut down the Astrodome and weren't allowing any more buses in, I told my wife that I might be crazy but I had to go and help, even if that meant picking up some families to come and live with us for a few weeks or months. My wife agreed and I think that I made it out of the house by about 10:35, arriving at the Astrodome about one hour later.

"Upon arrival, I couldn't believe the number of buses lining the Reliant Center complex as well as the number of people in the streets surrounding the area. I drove up and down trying to decide how I could safely offer housing to a few families without it seeming mysterious for those that I would be extending the offer. I was also thinking how I might be able to tell who would be a safe match for our home. After about three laps up and down the street, I decided to go into the Reliant Center complex and volunteer so that I could get a better feel for what was really going on inside.

"After signing in with Red Cross, I noticed that there were only 119 volunteers that evening and that we still had more than 82 buses to register -- all of which were waiting in the parking lot. After about 5 minutes, we were taken to one of the entrances of the Astrodome where we would board the buses, tend to those with life-threatening situations and then register all others on the bus. We didn't stop until 6:30 the next morning, when we moved the registration process off of the buses and into huge lines outside of a building adjacent to the Astrodome. Most of us continued working on through the following day as it seemed that the line of buses simply continued to grow.

"This was the first time that many of the evacuees were able to eat, drink and think about bathing in more than five days. Many of them were incredibly gracious for any type of assistance offered to them, others were disrespectful and at times frustrated with the registration process.

"As a volunteer, I couldn't even begin to relate to what they might have gone though, hence my patience when dealing with some of the more uncomfortable situations. It was a heart-wrenching experience, carrying de-hydrated babies into a makeshift emergency room or caring for a blind elderly man who had nothing more than a wrinkled up piece of paper stating his name, his condition and the medication that he needed. Reality suddenly sunk in. Even though the conditions weren't what they should have been and the lack of organization on the volunteers part was evident; something had to be done and quickly.

"We finally finished registering all of the passengers on the buses inside the Reliant Center complex before they started sending more evacuees on to Dallas and San Antonio. I didn't bring any families home the following day, however we continued to offer our assistance both at the Astrodome as well as at a church not far from our home. There were many times when a simple smile on one of the kid's faces made it all seem worth it. They survived a terrible storm that took so many lives. The next few months will be the real test and hopefully it will result in more success stories, reunited families and smiles on the faces of many more children and adults.”

Gary Elliston, VP, Gulf Region, U.S., commented "When so many are affected our efforts seem so small in comparison to the needs. But the small efforts of tens of thousands of individuals are what make the difference for tens of thousands of needy displaced people. As the Crown staff pour out their caring and labor to help others whom they do not know, it shows what kind of people make up the Crown World. As we have been given so much, we will give back and help those we can touch with our care."

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