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Welcome to the Mirror Site's Hurricane Katrina Page
14-Sept-2005
Commander Morrow: If the flotilla would like to claim a contribution to hurricane Katrina, you can point out that you have a volunteer detailed to Hurricane Katrina-Me!! I declined to evacuate from the New Orleans area since medical people (and ex-military police people) might be needed if it actually hit. I thought that I would only be standby and go home. (WRONG!!)
Your local flotilla 61 representative was first assigned to supplemental staff a local nursing home that was moved to higher ground (i.e., a high school gym floor 10mi up the street) at the last minute with no electricity or running water, and little staff. We therefore got the disadvantages of sheltering in place, and evacuating, at the same time. We only lost one patient, though it remains to be seen on another three. Paramedics are taught to triage most severely injured persons first except that those not likely to make it are "passed by" to attend those that can be helped. Quite logical, but the experience of making such a decision and walking away from it is quite different. We worked 20 hr shifts, got 3 or 5 hours sleep and felt guilty about taking even the slightest break. Since FEMA, and other govt agencies, got a lot of criticism for Katrina response, I'll point out that it was only an hour or so after the storm that I heard chainsaws. Someone was already cutting up downed trees that were blocking us in, and I then saw a mini-dozer pushing them to the side. Wish I knew who to give the accolades to, but somebody was "doing something", and doing it just after the winds died down.
The flotilla can also claim to have helped the American Red Cross as my second posting was the medical section of John Slidell Park shelter, where we practiced field medicine until it merged with another ARC shelter with fresh volunteers. I’d like to say thank you to “super Karen”,RN and her Karen clan from Maryland, as well as the NY nurse with the Russian surname (that was patiently explained to me as actually her ex-husband’s name..) The ARC/J. Slidell Park shelter might not have had a level one trauma center, but it had one hell of a med team, and it was probably the best med section at any of the ARC shelters. (In my opinion.)
If you never visited New Orleans, you've missed your chance. What was once New Orleans is not really here anymore...
William Baldwin, FC-61 at Ground below Zero, New Orleans.
Fri, 23 Sept 2005 10:36:45am
Commander Morrow has counseled that i should give updates when I can, on Hurricane Katrina.
I frequently am harassed at checkpoints or am pulled over for being in an affected area late at night. the cool part is that it rarely is a local LEO. First it was Kentucky State troopers, then the Border Patrol, Customs, and a Texas ranger. Last night it was the Chicago P.D. MRE's have been passed out by the Pennsylvania and Puerto Rican National guard and when they saw my Virginia Plates they pointed out that the Va NG was on site also. People sometimes point out that a post-hurricane situation is a lot like camping. If you didn't bring it, or have it on you, then you don't have it. It is pitch black at night, just like a campground. Two differences, however, is that at a camp you can usually see a light if you look in the right direction. You can also hear "background" noises, crickets, and etc. Absolute dark and absolute quiet in an urban area is pretty unnerving. Especially when looters have gotten so brazen that the paramedics are carrying sidearms to protect their medicines....
People frequently point out that the media "hype" up everything, but that this time the reality is worse than the media gloss over. To be fair, it could also be an illustration of a new axiom I have learned: "If a picture is worth a thousand words, experiencing it firsthand is worth a thousand pictures."
An interesting observation I have made is regard to auxiliary, volunteer, amateur, etc agencies vs. commercial, professional, and "regular". It is that during a hurricane everything "regular" has failed and *everything* that actually works is a seat of the pants, jury rigged, amateur effort that is kinda, sorta working. Non profit community hospitals survived and continued operating, while big Charity, a State hospital went under. (Along with all commercial hospitals in Orleans and Jefferson..) 911 was flooded out and worthless while joe sixpack and his "commandeered" boat was doing search and rescue. No one cared if he was volunteer, professional, or amateur. Government agency FEMA was AWOL and most (non-fire or law enforcement) assistance has been from volunteers.
Please excuse my lack of regular updates but Rita is now on the horizon, and reports are that levels have already topped one of the levees....
William Baldwin, FC-61 at Ground below Zero, New Orleans
Mon, 26 Sept 2005 12:41:59pm
Won't have any pictures until Saturday when they're developed, but I can give you a list of what you won't see:
A picture of the American flag swamped off it's post and looking pretty ungraceful on the ground with the debris of the storm. A professional photography artist would think that it probably would have been a dramatic picture with emotional overtones, et al, but you don't take pictures of a grand Lady in the shower or other undignified moments and I merely put the flag back where it belonged and that was that.
The Nurse from NY, NY with the Russian surname (but wasn't Russian.. ) "super" Karen Boudreaux and her son, sister and sister's husband all from Maryland. (You won't be seeing any pictures of them in the shower, either, we didn't have any showers for days...) The super Karen clan, NY nurse, and I setup a medical section at the Red Cross from scratch, ensured that it was manned 24/7, and then relinquished it to new volunteers before going our separate ways. America at it's best.
The homeowner who lost everything but his humor. His garage read:
*for sale
*dirt cheap
*fixer upper
*waterfront property
Tue, 14 March 2006 2:10:42am Katrina 6 month update just saw on MSN.com that St. Bernard parish is considering hiring Blackwater militia men and deputizing them to patrol FEMA trailer parks under a real deputy for supervision. Would wear exact same uniforms and be real LEO's. Haven't seen it in local paper yet. What I *have* seen is that two more bodies were found trapped in an attic where they had tried to escape in the storm. Six months after Katrina is gone, and we're still not thru finding bodies that were missed in the original debris....
I had originally planned to finish at the six month mark. Bodies are still being found 8 months out, two brothers last week and a little girl before that. I owe it to them to make a few additional entries. Although some areas are back in action, some are still covered in debris and worse off than they would be if totally barren. I noticed children playing in the street again a few days ago and thought how odd that children playing in the street should strike me as odd.
Around 6-10-06 or so.. Came back to the house to find a FEMA trailer sitting in the exact middle of the yard, blocking the sidewalk. More than 9 months after the storm and I finally get temporary quarters to live in while I (help) fix the house. Wonder where they *think* I been living? Good thing we have a two story, here, we lived on the second while fixing the first. Not only can you *not* depend on FEMA to help you, they will actually get in the way. Army corps of engineers have generated similar scorn.
more photos from hurricane are here on Katrina Page 2