Hurricane Katrina

Trinity

I tried without success to access the Trinity web site yesterday. Has anyone had any success. The elite British Columbia Search and Recuse team is now on the way to New Orleans. I know I speak for many Canadians that our hearts and prayers are with you. There are now many organizations here in British Columbia Canada collecting money and supplies which will make its way down to the people who need it. Allan

For those concerned about family/friends in the New Orleans area, here is a list of marinas and yachting clubs effected by the hurricane.

http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20050801092126ymnews.html

Trinity is OK!

For immediate release...

New Orleans, Louisiana – September 3rd. 2005 - Trinity Yachts, LLC announced it is opening a new administrative headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana after hurricane Katrina blew through New Orleans, LA and shut down the city.

According to Felix Sabates, CEO, “Our hearts and prayers go out to our family of employees at Trinity and to all the people of New Orleans and our neighboring areas affected by Katrina. We are doing everything in our power to bring a sense of normalcy back to our employees and we will be back on line very shortly. To help facilitate things, we are setting up a new administration headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We would like our vendors to contact us there with any questions they may have with regards to ongoing and future projects.”

Sabates added, “We have been blessed with very little damage to the main shipyard except for a couple of missing roof panels from one of the older sheds and our recently launched yachts ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM and the LADY FLORENCE are safe and sound, as is the M/Y LEDA.”

Sabates continues, “We will still show at Monaco and Fort Lauderdale of course, and with the new office in Baton Rouge, we will be open for business next week.”

Very good news indeed!

BTW Carl, do you happen to have the phone # and other contact info for Trinity's new office in Baton Rouge? Their web site is still down.

Kelly

Glad you asked Kelly. Completely forgot to include it...

The new Trinity Yachts headquarters address is:

Trinity Yachts, LLC.
PO. Box 80139, Baton Rouge, LA 70898
Tel.: Toll Free - (877) 450-9867
Email: info@trinityyachtsusa.com
Website: www.trinityyachtsusa.com

Trinity has also embarked on an action plan to help there employees and their families so they can receive paychecks and benefits etc. and that office number is toll free (877) 414-4191 and called the Trinity Yachts Employee Command Post.” Employees can also email us at info@trinityyachtsemergencycommandpost.com They have also created a website and anyone will be able to access this at over the next few days at: www.trinityyachtsemergencycommandpost.com

Trinity Yachts of New Orleans has set up a temporary administrative and accounting headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and an employee center in Dallas, Texas.

We are doing everything in our power to bring a sense of normalcy back to our employees and we are making arrangements to set up a temporary headquarters in Baton Rouge for general administration and a HR. office in Dallas so our employees can receive their paychecks, access to their employee benefits, health and life insurance and assist them in employment related questions.

From our initial inspection we really have been blessed. Trinity has sustained a little damage to one of the older sheds and the ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM and LADY FLORENCE has a little cosmetic damage, but we should have them at the FL – Yacht Show. We are now embarking on an action plan to help our employees and their families and the new temporary Trinity Yachts employee office will be called the Trinity Yachts Command Post.

We think we will be up and running in a few weeks, power is going to be our main thing to achieve.

If any Trinity Employee reads this, please call into our toll free # (877) 414-4191 or go the employee website: www.trinityyachtsemergencycommandpost.com

We are setting up an employee relief fund on the next few days also, so please lend your support at the same website.

Trinity Yachts would like to say thank you to all the wonderful people out there for all your POSITIVE kind words and support.

Welcome aboard Mark!

We were all relieved to hear you guys are OK and that Trinity has taken pro-active measures to help their employees through this crisis.

Majority of Gulf Coast marinas 'non-existent'...

(http://www.boating-industry.com/output.cfm?id=1006957)

GULFPORT, Miss. - The boating industry along the Gulf Coast has "years of recovery" ahead, according to Sea Tow President Capt. Keith Cummings, who has been on the ground surveying the damage from Hurricane Katrina.

In fact, after conducting an aerial survey from Mobile, Ala., to New Orleans, La., he estimated that about 75 percent of the area's marina industry is "non-existent."

Last year's Hurricane Ivan delivered "this kind of devastation" over about 30 miles, while Hurricane Katrina's path has covered 150 miles or more of coastline, he estimated in an interview.

Manufacturing & Fabrication Openings for up to 100 Gulf Coast workers at Westport...

Boating Industry
Tuesday September 13, 2005

WESTPORT, Wash. – Yacht builder Westport Shipyard can hire up to 100 qualified Gulf Coast marine manufacturing workers who lost jobs as a result of Hurricane Katrina, the company reported in a statement yesterday.

“For those skilled in marine and related trades, we are happy to help them and their families relocate and settle here to become part of our Westport family,” said Tami Higgins, vice president of administration for Westport Shipyard. “With the assistance of the community, we are putting together relocation packages. Several members of the shipyard team also have offered to open their homes to welcome our new teammates and help them get back on their feet.”

The Gulf Coast is home to several shipyards and marine manufacturing facilities, many of which suffered extensive damage from the hurricane and its aftermath. In addition, Northrop Grumman, which operates several Gulf Coast shipyards, had announced just days before the hurricane hit that it would be cutting 2,000 jobs from its large military shipyards in Avondale and Pascagoula, Miss., Westport explained. Many of the now-devastated shipyards along the Gulf Coast were expected to absorb the Northrop job losses.

“We’d like to give some of the families in those hardest hit areas a chance to start a new life in Washington state,” said Daryl Wakefield, president of Westport Shipyard. “Most of those who survived the storm have lost their homes and their jobs, and there’s a great potential that their skills would be a fit here at Westport Shipyard.”

Westport Shipyard is specifically looking for workers who have experience in administration, production support, design, project management, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, fiberglass lamination and painting, or aluminum welding and fabrication. Marine experience is preferred, but experience in RV, bus, aircraft or modular home manufacturing will also be taken into account. The shipyard is considering workers with experience in construction, assembly and other manufacturing-related fields as well.

Westport Shipyard provides full-time, year-round, family-wage jobs with benefits, performance bonuses and advancement opportunities. The shipyard said it has a strong need for employees with marine trades skills to help sustain its steady growth.

For more information about job and relocation opportunities, contact the Westport Shipyard Human Resources Department at humanres@westportshipyard.com or P.O. Box 308, Westport, WA 98595; phone 360-268-1800 ext. 2012; fax 360-268-1189. Or contact the Port Angeles Human Resources Department at pahumanres@westportshipyard.com or 637 Marine Drive, Port Angeles, WA 98363; phone 360-452-5095; fax 360-452-9534.

Photos of Hurricane's Approch from the Ground

These were taken in Alabama of Katrina as it was "coming in".

Although devastating, there is a bit of beauty in the photos.

Photos continued

....a couple more. These were sent to me in an eMail

WOW! Whoever took those, fantastic photos!

Kelly Cook

a BIT of beauty?

You've gotta be kidding, absolutely gorgeous!

If you enjoy the majesty of mother nature in a mood...


http://www.stormstrikes.com/PhotoGallery/index.php?cat=4

Sorry Brian, but .....

http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/storm.asp

Kelly

Good snooping Kelly! When I looked through these pics last night, they didn't appear similar to the outer edges (bands) of storms I've weathered. Typically there is NO sun to found anywhere, except for a few brief minutes inside the eye, if you are so unlucky to be in this position.

Kudos to Brian for trying to bring us good images of the Katrina. Surprisingly, Brian is one of the most astute guys you'll ever meet. Looks like we all got snookered!

I can't take credit for that Carl. I liked the photos so much that I posted a link to the thread "somewhere else". And it was somebody there that did the snopes check.

Kelly