Hurricane Ida was a deadly and destructive Category 4 hurricane that has been etched in the record books as the second-most intense tropical weather system to make landfall in Louisiana, following Hurricane Katrina.
As the storm passed through eastern Louisiana Aug. 29, 2021, on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans (NAS JRB NOLA) found itself relying solely on generator power as the surrounding electrical grid was destroyed. Base officials had been warned that it could take weeks to restore power.
Within all the carnage left behind by Ida were families, service members, government employees and contractors who had no place to go for basic necessities like a hot meal.
When Culinary Specialist 1st Class Dawayillion Hall, Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Steven Flowers and Culinary Specialist 2nd Class D’Marvia Wilks, each assigned to Colmer Galley at Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport, Mississippi, found out that cooks were needed to man NAS JRB New Orleans’s galley, they jumped at the opportunity to help.
The three CSs joined seven other volunteers from around Navy Region Southeast to assist with cooking for the people left behind with no power since the civilian-contracted galley staff was either evacuated or at home taking care of their families.
“It was pitch black throughout the base when we got there and we took over the galley, which was powered by generators. We arrived on Sept. 3rd and stayed until the 10th. We were supposed to stay until the 18th, but our mission got cut early due to the power being restored,” said Hall, the lead CS for the mission.
With the NAS JRB NOLA galley being on generator power and supplies already running low, the galley staff pooled resources and combined their experiences to start making meals from scratch with basic ingredients.
“We had a little bit of supplies. We were very limited due to delivery trucks not being able to get to us. A lot of the roads were still flooded or blocked,” said Hall. “We had to create our own menu from scratch.”
The at-hoc galley staff began churning out traditional breakfasts of eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes, while meals later in the day consisted of baked chicken or spaghetti.
“Working in that galley took me back. It felt like when I first joined. It was good to mingle with the different types of platforms. We had cooks from subs and carriers and other shore duties. We shared experiences of how we operate differently. It is very different, but we still came together and made it work. It was a good time,” said Hall.
Before the volunteers scattered back to their bases, Capt. Todd Breumer, the installation commanding officer, and Command Master Chief Monique A. Greenidge stopped by to personally thank the culinary staff. According to Hall, the best part of the experience was the gratitude he received.
“Everyone showed us a lot of appreciation. They were happy with us every day. We were appreciated for each meal. Every meal seemed special,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 09.29.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2021 14:46 |
| Story ID: | 406317 |
| Location: | GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 110 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NCBC Gulfport culinary specialist reflects on mission to New Orleans following Hurricane Ida, by Brian Lamar, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
