"I Can't Just Leave Those People Behind" — Jesse St. Amant and the Cajun Navy: How One Fisherman Saved Over 100 Lives During Hurricane Katrina
When Hurricane Katrina drowned New Orleans in 2005, Cajun fisherman Jesse St. Amant loaded his flat-bottom boat and motored straight into the flooded streets — rescuing over 100 neighbors before any official help arrived. He was one of hundreds of volunteers who became known as the "Cajun Navy," a spontaneous civilian flotilla credited with saving roughly 10,000 lives during the storm's most critical hours.
Oct 22, 2026