The one thing that concerned me was the childlike demeanor of the refugees. They were absolutely lost and some just sat or stood in a stupor. One of the pilots said that some even asked how much it would cost to get on the choppers when they picked them up..they said they had no ticket. It was hard to comprehend.
A Marine Captain ran up to me and asked if we could respond to a scene call where some children were injuried and possibly dying. He got the coordinates..which is all he had..from a phone call somewhere in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice:smarttags" /><st1
lace w:st="on">Metairie</st1lace>. As I grabbed my crew and started the aircraft and began to log the coordinates in to the GPS..I realized the coordinates were not valid. Someone had written 99 seconds when there are only 60 seconds in a minute. I had no idea of where to go and we could not afford to go on a wild goose chase when we were needed elswhere. Communication failure may have cost a life or lives..but #### happens. You just keep going. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
We got another message of a woman and four year old trapped in the Plaza hotel for five days and her son was nearly dead. I grabbed an Army Sgt. and gave him the info and told him to commandere a chopper and rifle squad and see if they could get to the people. He left in a trot...and I hope he was successful in his mission. <o></o>
The very first time I sat down at Armstrong at the triage area there were helicopters surrounding us lined up like ducks as they taxied around to drop off survivors. We were waiting to upload a patients and be off to God knows where when the door of one of the Blackhawks slid back and this tall soldier started waving at Vance and I. We ran to the chopper and he began herding out kids and handed me two to carry. He pulled back the visor on his helmet and it was Mike Wall.. a close friend and former flight nurses who was with the Tenn National Guard. He just grinned and yelled they had a chip light on one of the engines and would need to pull out of line to get it checked. He recognized us and used some quick thinking to download and not hold up the convoy of choppers. Vance and I herded and carried the kids to triage. I have no idea where their parents were. Their eyes were big as saucers and they hung on to me with a frantic grip. The little girl did not want to let go of my neck, but I assurred her she would be OK as I gave her to a young female Army medic. You did not have time to tear up or think..you just did. Which was good I suppose.<o></o>
<o></o>
They have plenty of helicopters, trust me on this..almost too many for the airspace...but they don't neccessarily need all the lookers filling up the TFR. Fortunately things have settled down compared to the last three days..it was insane with the aircraft. <o></o>
The air traffic contollers at MSY need the Medal of Honor. I have never seen such coolness as they directed hundreds of aircraft within a two mile area. they trew the book and the regs out the window and got the job done. Unbelievable and someone needs to tell thier story. They made it work.<o></o>
At one time Saturday, we were waiting in a line of choppers to get our patients as I watched a NO Airport fireman fighting to stay afoot as he guided in the hundreds of military aircraft with refugees. <o></o>
I could see he was exhausted so I grabbed two bottles of water and took his orange vest and took over while my medical crew helped unload. He drank the water and sat for about 15 minutes and then we had to go. The rotor wash from the aircraft was 50 or 60 mph and the aircraft were right on top of you and then lifted straight up. It was all you could do to stand erect. The sand on the tarmac was everywhere from the previous high water and it was like standing in a sand blaster. I had sand down the crack of my ass for the rest of the day………weren't comfortable. I really felt sorry for this poor guy, but he got it done. <o></o>
To be honest, when I was in the air..I rarely looked at the ground after the initial shock of what I saw. My eyes were looking for other aircraft and talking to <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">OMAHA</st1lace></st1:City> 44 and 45..the AWACS.. and trying to get to my mission and not get killed. LOL <o></o>
The carnage and destruction is hard to describe..but it did look like a nuclear bomb in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Gulfport</st1lace></st1:City> and Waveland. <st1:City w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:City> was underwater and many fires and at night it could have passed for <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Dresden</st1:City>,<st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region></st1lace>. No lights other than emergency vehicles and fires.
I-10 from <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Slidell</st1lace></st1:City> appeared to be missing as well as the Causeway. I saw so much... my brain will not register it.
A Marine Captain ran up to me and asked if we could respond to a scene call where some children were injuried and possibly dying. He got the coordinates..which is all he had..from a phone call somewhere in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on">Metairie</st1lace>. As I grabbed my crew and started the aircraft and began to log the coordinates in to the GPS..I realized the coordinates were not valid. Someone had written 99 seconds when there are only 60 seconds in a minute. I had no idea of where to go and we could not afford to go on a wild goose chase when we were needed elswhere. Communication failure may have cost a life or lives..but #### happens. You just keep going. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>We got another message of a woman and four year old trapped in the Plaza hotel for five days and her son was nearly dead. I grabbed an Army Sgt. and gave him the info and told him to commandere a chopper and rifle squad and see if they could get to the people. He left in a trot...and I hope he was successful in his mission. <o
></o>The very first time I sat down at Armstrong at the triage area there were helicopters surrounding us lined up like ducks as they taxied around to drop off survivors. We were waiting to upload a patients and be off to God knows where when the door of one of the Blackhawks slid back and this tall soldier started waving at Vance and I. We ran to the chopper and he began herding out kids and handed me two to carry. He pulled back the visor on his helmet and it was Mike Wall.. a close friend and former flight nurses who was with the Tenn National Guard. He just grinned and yelled they had a chip light on one of the engines and would need to pull out of line to get it checked. He recognized us and used some quick thinking to download and not hold up the convoy of choppers. Vance and I herded and carried the kids to triage. I have no idea where their parents were. Their eyes were big as saucers and they hung on to me with a frantic grip. The little girl did not want to let go of my neck, but I assurred her she would be OK as I gave her to a young female Army medic. You did not have time to tear up or think..you just did. Which was good I suppose.<o
></o><o
></o>They have plenty of helicopters, trust me on this..almost too many for the airspace...but they don't neccessarily need all the lookers filling up the TFR. Fortunately things have settled down compared to the last three days..it was insane with the aircraft. <o
></o>The air traffic contollers at MSY need the Medal of Honor. I have never seen such coolness as they directed hundreds of aircraft within a two mile area. they trew the book and the regs out the window and got the job done. Unbelievable and someone needs to tell thier story. They made it work.<o
></o>At one time Saturday, we were waiting in a line of choppers to get our patients as I watched a NO Airport fireman fighting to stay afoot as he guided in the hundreds of military aircraft with refugees. <o
></o>I could see he was exhausted so I grabbed two bottles of water and took his orange vest and took over while my medical crew helped unload. He drank the water and sat for about 15 minutes and then we had to go. The rotor wash from the aircraft was 50 or 60 mph and the aircraft were right on top of you and then lifted straight up. It was all you could do to stand erect. The sand on the tarmac was everywhere from the previous high water and it was like standing in a sand blaster. I had sand down the crack of my ass for the rest of the day………weren't comfortable. I really felt sorry for this poor guy, but he got it done. <o
></o>To be honest, when I was in the air..I rarely looked at the ground after the initial shock of what I saw. My eyes were looking for other aircraft and talking to <st1:City w:st="on"><st1
lace w:st="on">OMAHA</st1lace></st1:City> 44 and 45..the AWACS.. and trying to get to my mission and not get killed. LOL <o></o>The carnage and destruction is hard to describe..but it did look like a nuclear bomb in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1
lace w:st="on">Gulfport</st1lace></st1:City> and Waveland. <st1:City w:st="on">New Orleans</st1:City> was underwater and many fires and at night it could have passed for <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Dresden</st1:City>,<st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region></st1lace>. No lights other than emergency vehicles and fires. I-10 from <st1:City w:st="on"><st1
lace w:st="on">Slidell</st1lace></st1:City> appeared to be missing as well as the Causeway. I saw so much... my brain will not register it. 
