Is the Oil & Gas Industry in a Rut?
November 14, 2021
Operations Resume Nine Days After Ida at Port Fourchon
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The Float the Boat Program is currently focusing on Terrebonne Parish and will expand to other parishes if funds will allow. Helio Foundation President, Jonathan Foret, said the program is a reimbursement program for boat owners for the cost of getting their boats out of the water or getting them back into the water. The foundation doesn’t coordinate or contact the salvage company, it’s the boat owner’s responsibility, simply because Foret said it gives them a chance to choose someone the owners trust. The foundation then reimburses the boat owners, to a reasonable amount, once the invoices and photos of the boat are provided. Foret said the amounts vary depending on the size of the vessel, some range between $3,000-$5,000, and the bigger boats may go up to $8,000. So far, they were able to help six fishermen start to get their livelihoods back.
The challenge for them has been to find a salvage company to assist the larger boats. Initially, the foundation was going to try to contract with a company, but every situation is so different that different companies have different resources and equipment that are necessary to help the varying situations. It was because of this that it made more sense to the organization to allow boat owners to contract someone they trusted to get their boats out.
Another issue they came across is the long wait time due to the simple fact of the mass amount of need for the services. Foret said just like people are having to wait for general contractors to get to residents’ homes, it takes a while because there is such a large need for assistance.
The foundation is also looking to help residents with helping crabs get their traps back, helping get trawlers replaced in some rigging that may have been destroyed so that folks can start working again with the tools they need. These services, just like the Float the Boat program, work on a reimbursement basis. If fishermen need traps, the foundation is able to reimburse them as long as receipts and invoices are provided.
The biggest reward, Foret said, is to see the reactions of fishermen that are able to get their boats floating again. He said they are all very excited, “I mean this is their livelihoods. Getting their boats back floating will enable them to be able to start working again.”
To apply for the program, message the Helio Foundation directly on their Facebook page at facebook.com/HelioFoundation or email jv4a@yahoo.com.
