By APRIL REYNOLDS

akr011@latech.edu

 

 

 In the past, Louisiana has been spared major weather damage. However, the lucky streak ended in August and September of 2005. Police Chief Steven Quinnelly reflects on his experience with Company Bravo of the 527th Engineering Battalion of the Louisiana Army National Guard in South Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Q: How much time did you spend in the New Orleans metro area?

A: Our total time was probably three weeks. My company was activated, mobilized and in place one day prior to Hurricane Katrina hitting. We rode out the hurricane in the Superdome with the people that were there.

Q: What relief activities were you involved in before and after Katrina hit?

A: There were different types of missions we performed. Before the hurricane we were doing humanitarian missions of distributing food and water to the people already in the Superdome.

After it hit we did search-and- rescue missions with Light Mobile Tactical Vehicles, vehicles that are high enough off the ground that they can travel in water.

Company Bravo did transport missions where we took people to the Superdome or to other areas, engineering missions of clearing roads or securing structures and security missions that included securing checkpoints or stationary patrolling. After Hurricane Rita I was sent to the Naval Air Station in Belle Chasse, La., to be a part of logistics.

Q: How would you describe the damage done by these hurricanes?

A: I personally observed three levels of damage. There was roof damage, whereas you can drive down Interstate 10 now, and most of the homes have blue tarp roofs.

Then there were areas that were heavily flooded, but the structures were still there, or where there was nothing at all. One place that comes to mind is U.S. Highway 23 from Port Sulfur to Venus.

We drove for over 60 miles, and there was nothing but complete damage on both sides of the highway. Whole towns are gone, and when I say nothing was there, nothing was there.

Q: How do you feel about the relief and recovery efforts? Was enough done?

A: I think the guard had a great response (because we were) in place a day before the hurricane hit, but because of the magnitude, other guardsmen were sent to supplement us.

The United States has never had anything of this magnitude, where 60 percent of a city was destroyed. There were a lot of people being rescued, but it was so many thousands that it took a while to get to everyone.

Q: Did you have the opportunity to speak with any residents?

A: When I was in Breaux Bridge, I interacted with a lot of people, and they were really grateful and appreciative of the National Guard’s being there and helping out. I think Tech can be proud of the guard and students who dropped everything to go help our south Louisiana neighbors.