United Cajun Navy Brings Hope to Flooded Indiana Towns

When 84-year-old Suze Stamm was rescued from her flooded Ravenswood home by canoe, she thought she'd lost everything after nearly 50 years in her neighborhood. Then volunteers from across the country started showing up.

The United Cajun Navy, a disaster relief organization formed after Hurricane Katrina, has deployed teams to help Indiana communities recover from historic flooding. What started as Louisiana civilians with boats helping neighbors has grown into a nationwide response network that goes wherever disaster strikes.

This week, that meant Indiana. Volunteers spent days in Connersville before expanding operations to Indianapolis and surrounding areas, assessing damage and connecting residents with the resources they need most.

Amy Metz, a meteorologist with the organization, says this disaster stands out because of how widespread the flooding has been. She's traveled the world responding to natural disasters, but Indiana's scattered damage pattern requires a different approach.

At Glendale Christian Church, where Stamm has sheltered since Saturday with her cats, community donations keep arriving by the truckload. But the biggest need remains volunteers willing to help families gut damaged homes and begin rebuilding.

The work goes beyond immediate cleanup. Metz and her team are helping communities build long-term recovery plans so support continues after the volunteers leave town.

The Ripple Effect

What makes the United Cajun Navy special is its origin story. Born from everyday people who grabbed their boats to save strangers during Katrina, the organization proves that disaster response doesn't always need to wait for official channels.

Now those same principles are helping Indiana families piece their lives back together. Volunteers are vetting local helpers, organizing donation streams, and creating systems that will keep working long after the national news cameras leave.

For Stamm, who watched floodwaters destroy her carpets, furniture, and decades of memories, the arrival of these volunteers felt like answered prayers. "Their hearts are with our hearts," she said.

Indianapolis officials are now allowing Ravenswood residents to return home if water has receded and they feel safe, though some areas remain flooded. Power restoration is happening block by block as AES Indiana determines which homes can safely reconnect.

The road to recovery will take months, but communities aren't facing it alone.