As you know, thousands of our ATV and Dirt Bike riding brothers lost their homes and property (and machines) to Hurricane Katrina on Monday. Just below my house in Belle Chasse, the land is gone and under water in lower Plaquemines Parish, including Port Sulphur, Buras, Point-A-La-Hache, Boothville, Venice. 30,000+ Parish residents have permanently lost their homes and property through "instant" coastal erosion. We are destroyed and the infrastructure is gone.
Tonight(Monday 8/29/05) as I write this letter, the rising waters continue to take their toll on New Orleans and surrounding areas. 80-90% of Southeast Louisiana is under water. The American Tsunami is an understatement. (And don't get me started about those looters!)
Southern Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as Alabama, Georgia and Florida, were hard hit. We lost trails in Mississippi like Bethel and Sawdust ATV Trails in South Mississippi, as well as Red Creek Off Road Park in Gulfport, Scenic Trails in Perkiston and Southern Mississippi Offroad Park near Kiln. In Louisiana, we lost The Bonnet Carre Spillway Trails and Tracks that were developed (with our partners, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers) over the last (8) years. Over $200,000.00 was spent in the way of Donations, Grant Money and Work-in-Kind to develop the 1,000 acres. The Spillway is the only legal ride spot in southern Louisiana.
I don't know what my fellow Offroad enthusiasts feel for their devastated brethren, but I know that some thing can be done. Although I am a Hurricane Katrina Victim, I am also an Off Road activist (see below) in this State. I want to revive our sport down here on the Gulf ASAP!
Many people cannot rebuild homes and replace possessions, and then also immediately start to purchase new toys or get their Damaged ATV's and Dirt Bikes fixed. Something should be done.
I challenge the Off Road community to join together and donate New and Used Offroad Dirt Bikes, ATVs, Generators, Helmets, Gear, Tires, Accessories, Service, Donations of Money, whatever -- to a specific fund or holding company.
We could show our colors!
My 2 cents and Thanks!
Regards,
Tim Boles
"Bama250R"
"I ask for no donations or gifts for me personally because I can recover on my own, but most down here will not pull through for many years. As for my story, I will not know if I lost my home for a minimum of (2) weeks because of the devastation, and even then , I will just get a look at the damage, and it will takes months to let everyone return to their property with or without a home. My wife and I both lost our jobs on Monday due to the Hurricane, and our businesses are decimated, and with both of us in our 50’s, we will be starting over our lives again.
My "rides" were an '05 Suzuki King Quad 700, an '01 400EX that I had rebuilt and customized, an '00 Kodiak 4x4, and last but not least, my '88 250R that was a "Low Hour" that had been built to perfection in XC style. It was beautiful, and all of them made me proud. I hope that they are still there when I can get back in, water-logged or not, but there is a very slim chance.
I had also collected every issue of each of the following magazines since 1985 or the magazines inception: Dirt Wheels, (3&4) 4 Wheel ATV Action, ATV Sport (formerly 3 Wheeling), ATV Sports, ATV Rider, ATV Illustrated, ATV Magazine and the new "Quad" magazine. Probably all ruined!
I had priceless videos and photos in my home of my 25 years of serious Off-Roading such as GNCC, Flat Track, TT, Mud Bog and Sand Drag races that I had participated in over the years, and then there are the commercial ATV and Dirt Bike videos and DVD's I had collected. My gear and support equipment are probably also gone or ruined."
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