ABC 26 story: Evacuteers Train for Hurricane Season, 2010
JULY 23, 2010
Blaire Arvin
ABC26 News
NEW ORLEANS — Bonnie serves as a reminder -- for people in the metro area to get ready -- should a serious hurricane come our way. That's exactly what some volunteers did this morning.
They're called 'Evacuteers.' They help with the City's Assisted Evacuation Plan.
This morning a group of about 70 people trained to become 'Evacuteers.' They play a vital role in the city's evacuation process. Basically they would help out at Union Passenger Terminal, the city's pickup point locations and at the airport. If a major hurricane were to threaten our area it's estimated some 25,000 to 30,000 people would need help evacuating.
New Orleans Emergency Manager Tom Ignelzi says, "everybody watches on TV and says I wish I could help these people are going to help they're going to be right there whether its filling out paperwork or helping them carry their baby or their baggage, they're going to be there they're going to make a difference in someone's life."
Evacuteer.org came to fruition after lessons learned from Hurricane Gustav. Right now there are about 500 volunteers involved.