Post-Katrina

ok, so the blog was a good idea until the power went out and fried the internet! The rest of the storm was uneventful for me here, the power came on again that night, although the internet was offline for a while. I did get a call saying that some pilots had seen COBIA underway in Bayou Le Batre during an overflight. Turned out to be a rumor, it was only a 41' Utility Boat that they easily pulled out of someone's front lawn. Once things had settled down, we (the crew of the COBIA) loaded up the ships small boat and went down to Hancock County to help out. Our jetdrive boat was ultimately very useful for accessing some of the shallower bayou's and we were able to search several neighborhoods that had been inaccessible by vehicle due to the quantity of debris on the roads. Navigating with a highway map and a tourist information map isn't exactly a Coast Guard standard method, but it was interesting! Folks had evacuated all the areas we searched fortunately...the devastation in that area was incredible. Some of the places we visited had nothing left except debris in the trees...the houses were all literally washed miles inland. Nothing but trash and foundations left. The smell was just overwhelming as well, something that doesn't convey well on CNN.

Searching in the Bayou


Tough place to get stuck when the water recedes.


This 41' was tied to two concrete blocks, there is another one on the other side.


COBIA, safe and sound.


Tuesday morning at Sector Mobile....