On April 5 at the National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans, Don T. Forse, Jr., Regional Vice President of Tidal Basin Group, proudly presented a check for $10,000 to the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM) and the American Red Cross of Louisiana. The funds will support a grassroots program to install more than 300 carbon monoxide detectors and provide hurricane preparedness education to residents in Greater New Orleans.

“We are dedicated to helping communities and supporting initiatives that prepare people for all forms of disasters,” said Don. “A prepared community is a strong and resilient community. This donation will help launch this new campaign and provide residents of Southeast Louisiana with over 300 detectors.”

The new campaign will help reduce the number of carbon monoxide deaths and illnesses due to extended power outages. I-DIEM and the Red Cross will provide free carbon monoxide detectors as part of the local American Red Cross fire detector installation program.

“Our organization focuses on ways to improve disaster response and recovery for underserved and marginalized communities and this campaign addresses the alarming rise in carbon monoxide deaths and illnesses after major hurricane events in Southern Louisiana over the last few years,” said I-DIEM CEO and Founder Chauncia Willis. “Although Spanish-speaking residents make up approximately 6% of the population in New Orleans, they accounted for 75% of those exposed to carbon monoxide after Hurricane Ida in 2021, and 50% of the deaths,” said Chauncia.