Trump Makes $10,000 Donation To Find Missing United Cajun Navy Members
Former President Donald Trump donated $10,000 to the families of the missing crew members of the Seacor Power lift boat, which was commissioned to work on a Louisiana oil platform and recently capsized in the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump’s donation will go towards the effort to locate seven missing sailors of the private vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. “What we’re doing is providing air support,” said Todd Terrell, Founder of United Cajun Navy.
Terrell said two of three planes provided by Cajun Air, a charter service out of Lafitte, Louisiana, are searching 15 hours a day. Terrell’s United Cajun Navy, who provides the fuel, said it costs $1,000 to $2,000 a day to operate each plane.
“They stepped up and volunteered their planes and pilots and said if we can supply fuel, they’ll keep the planes up,” Terrell said.
The Seacor Power vessel capsized off the southern coast of Louisiana on April 13 after winds reached speeds of 70 to 80 miles an hour. Six people were rescued, and authorities have confirmed that six people were killed in the incident. The Coast Guard suspended the search for the vessel on April 19, after a 175-hour search of over 9,200 nautical miles.
The wife of a sailor who was aboard the Seacor Power at the time it capsized filed suit in Texas on Wednesday seeking damages in excess of $25 million from the ship’s owners for alleged gross negligence and violations of federal maritime law.
Donald Trump is known for his charitable giving, donating his salary as president to various groups and organizations. In 2016 the Trump/Pence campaign donated $29,000 to relief efforts after Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina. In September 2017, following Hurricane Harvey’s devastation in Texas, Trump personally pledged to donate $1 million for relief efforts there.