Images of Disaster, Images of Hopeby Brigade Aide on September 18, 2005 at 10:33 AMThis is an amazing place during an amazing time. This blog briefly discusses two new photo gallerys I have posted. Images of Disaster, Images of Hope.September 18, 2005 Hurricane Katrina pummeled sections of New Orleans literally beyond belief. Task Force Pontchartrain has been on the job now for a couple of weeks and we’ve seen dramatic changes occurring throughout our sector. I’ve posted two new galleries of photos that attempt to capture the scale and scope of the events we are participating in. As I’ve traveled through the area I’ve been deeply moved, and I’ve had my breath taken away by some of the things I’ve seen. One of the main things I want to let everyone know is that the stray pets we have seen are also getting some relief out here. This issue has been tough on all of us. Two points of contact I have are Ben Bass at: chewybass@gmail.com and Ben Johnson at: (706) 247-0121. These are not the only ones out here helping by any means. The ASPCA is here along with many others. While there are still strays out there, the number has dropped dramatically in the last few days. Morale is very good. I think we all sense the importance of the mission we are on. A lot of us are tired now, and sometimes pretty stressed, but at least for the moment we are running quite smoothly. Two soldiers that I know of extended their enlistments while they were here. That is pretty cool. Something they will remember for the rest of their lives. Civilians are starting to return. I’ve included pictures of them in the “Images of Hope” gallery even though some of their stories are gut-wrenching. There is tremendous loss here, and grief. Yet, the fact that people are beginning to rebuild is evident everywhere you look. It is important to remember that what caused the majority of the damage was the flood water from the bursting levy. Although significant, the wind damage from the hurricane was no where near as great. Many homes are in good shape. Some of the water damage in our sector, however, is mind boggling. Junk food is starting to find its way out into our sector. A few places have air conditioning at last. Field sanitation is strictly enforced and soldiers are healthy. We’re taking care to take care of ourselves and each other. As always safety remains the number 1 priority of Task Force Pontchartrain. We continue to do good work here. I’ve heard some amazing stories that might be out there in the National news. Yesterday soldiers from 1-104th (Massachusetts) helped rescue a man who had been trapped in his house for thirteen days by his refrigerator. The poor man had managed to survive all this time on a single Big Gulp cup full of fresh water. In another incident, a 74 year old woman who was hard of hearing was rescued. She had been afraid to open her door for fear of looters. In still another example, members of the 1-181 Infantry (Massachusetts) manages to reunite a blind person with her Seeing Eye dog. They linked up in Houston, Texas I believe. I saw some members of the 165th Infantry from Puerto Rico manning a checkpoint on Interstate 10. These guys are also members of TF Pontchartrain. Way to go Puerto Rico! Sorry I didn’t get any photos… Well, I’m out of time. Got to get off and running! I’ll try to post again soon. 2LT Tim Merritt Aide-de-Camp for General Douglass Pritt, 41st BCT Commander Task Force Pontchartrain | Brigade AideTop Stories
By Andy Sullivan
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Fast-rising water brought by the outer edge of Hurricane Rita spilled over a freshly patched levee in New Orleans on Friday and flooded a deserted neighborhood of the already devastated city.
Pack it up, move it out...Go, Go, Go!
Just started this page, so I will just start from here forward.
Login/Register |
Discussion |