Linemen Pass the Hat in Houma, Louisiana, to Raise $100,000 for Hurricane Ida Relief

Hurricane Ida left a trail of destruction in Louisiana by damaging homes and energy infrastructure. In turn, companies from across the United States lent a helping hand to those in need. 

For example, Support Operations Services (SOS) a subsidiary of MasTec, donated items to hard-hit communities in Louisiana. Toby Mickalson, SVP of Operations, arranged to have a semitrailer of food and supplies driven from one of his offices in Mesa, Arizona, to Houma and Golden Meadows, Louisiana. Pitching in to help were partners Liberty Line Builders, P&G Power and SOS’s sister companies Intren and MasTec Utility Services Group.

While SOS and Toby were arranging the truck shipment, line crews from SOS and its partner P&G Power began a fundraising campaign to add to the effort because they, too, have been shown such kindness by the people of southeast Louisiana.

Food and supplies arrived in southeast Louisiana along with a $100,000 donation, which was raised by line crews and executives and matched by P&G Power, and given to two organizations that’ll support disaster relief:  the BStrong Foundation and Global Empowerment Mission.

Chris Aston, director of sales for Houma, Louisiana-based Cajun Cutters, LLC, his daughter, Ali; wife, Suzanne; son, Beckett; and, mother-in-law, Dee take time out for a photo at an SOS equipment yard with the meals they helped prepare for line crews restoring power in Southeast Louisiana.

The truck packed with food and supplies delivered its load to First Baptist Church of Golden Meadow and the Terrebonne Churches United Food Bank.

“Within five minutes of our arrival in Houma just after Ida ended, a family from the area offered us food,” Mickalson said. “They suffered through the storm and didn’t have power, but they were here trying to make sure we were taken care of. And families continue to do that every day for our crews. We wanted to do something beyond line construction and return their generosity, so we organized the truck shipment.”

“We bought everything in Arizona from Costco because we didn’t want to disrupt the local supply chain for people in Louisiana,” added Mickalson.