Photo By Staff Sgt. Kristi Moon | Sandbags along the levee protect the Braithwaite Park community from the flood waters...... read more read more
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By Staff Sgt. Kristi Moon
159th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
CHALMETTE, La. – The night of Sept. 1, 2008, was harrowing to say the least for everyone prepared to respond to emergencies after Hurricane Gustav.
When St. Bernard Parish Emergency Operations Center Liaison, Lt. Col. Tony Valenti set the wheels of two of the Guard's five-ton trucks into motion, there was nothing stopping the Louisiana National Guard from delivering sandbags and saving an entire community.
Earlier that afternoon a team of 38 Airmen already stationed in Chalmette, helped prepare the Katrina-ravaged area for yet another imminent blow. Valenti, a fighter pilot with the 159th Fighter Wing, was manning the EOC when a report from the levee board revealed water topping the levees surrounding Braithwaite Park south of Chalmette, La.
Knowing the levees were not going to be able to keep the water at bay, Valenti took immediate action. The Chalmette native got on the 800 mHz radio to Senior Master Sgt. Brian Cooper, also of the 159th Fighter Wing. "Coop," Valenti said, "Get two five-tons to the Kaiser plant, and fill them with sandbags and get to Braithwaite."
That's all it took; one phone call. Senior Master Sgt. Paul Beebe of the 214th Engineering Installation Squadron knew the severity of this mission. "In less than an hour after getting the call, we delivered three five-ton trucks full of sandbags," he said.
Cooper described the scene Monday night as one of automation and adrenaline. "Once the trucks arrived in record time, we formed a chain up to the top of the levee and passed the sandbags as fast as we could," he said. That 100-yard long chain was a group effort with Airmen, trustees from the parish prison, parish officials, and others who volunteered.
From across the river in Belle Chasse at the Plaquemines Parish Emergency Operations Center, a team of 10 Airmen also answered the call to help with their five-ton trucks. Braving tropical storm force winds and a ferry ride across the Mississippi River, the team delivered sandbags and helped form that human chain.
Master Sgt. Mark Hymel said, "We made a difference because the levee stayed put." With a sense of accomplishment he added, "We did it."
"It was dangerous and pretty scary," Cooper said of the entire operation. Valenti described it another way. "It was a Herculean effort by everyone involved," he said.
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2008 15:43 |
| Story ID: | 23476 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 285 |
| Downloads: | 222 |
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