September 2, 2008

Kentucky Conservation Officers Return to Louisiana To Assist Hurricane Gustav Victims

Frankfort, Ky. – Hurricane Gustav still was just a mere tropical storm packing 55 mile-per-hour winds over Jamaica when the request for assistance came in to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ Division of Law Enforcement the morning of August 29. Shortly after the phone call, an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) official request for help appeared. Louisiana needed 200 maritime law enforcement officers that were armed and fully equipped with boats and 4-wheel drive vehicles in Baton Rouge by 6:30 a.m. Eastern time, Sept. 3. It was almost three years ago to the day when a similar call came in from a flood-ravaged and crime-ridden New Orleans, desperate for law enforcement officers skilled in working from boats. Nearly two dozen Kentucky conservation officers responded to that 2005 call and rescued hundreds of stranded persons in the flooded city. This time, Louisiana officials intended to be ready for Hurricane Gustav. Gustav gained strength as it traveled over the Gulf of Mexico and bore down on the vulnerable city. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Boating Law Administrator Major Ron Morris called again and asked Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Lt. Mike Fields to speed up and get help there a day sooner than the original request. Maj. David Casey left early Sunday morning, Aug. 31, and was in Baton Rouge doing advance work when Gustav’s winds and rains pounded the state. “It’s heavy rain – and I really mean heavy – and it’s been blowing sideways for two hours now,” he said by phone Monday while another 25 of his fellow Kentucky conservation officers in 12 vehicles and towing 10 boats were driving south through Mississippi toward the storm. The officers arrived in Baton Rouge Monday night and awaited their search and rescue assignments. “The quick, professional response and rescue efforts in New Orleans by Kentucky conservation officers during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina three years ago were documented thoroughly by network news organizations and broadcast nationwide,” said Governor Steve Beshear. “This time when the call came for help, they were among the nation’s first to respond. Kentucky is proud to be a member of EMAC, and we stand prepared to help whenever we can.” “We sent 26 officers with vehicles and equipment,” said Fields. “We could have sent more, but we still had a mission here. It was the Labor Day holiday weekend, a traditionally big recreational boating weekend, and the opening weekend of mourning dove hunting season. We had them all adequately covered.” The Kentucky officers are being deployed to Belle Chasse in Plaquemines Parish on the southeast side of New Orleans after a request from the governor indicated a need to evacuate stranded residents and a strong law enforcement presence to deter looting. Flooding in Belle Chasse has topped levees leaving lower lying areas under water with additional heavy rains expected. Plaquemines Parish was one of the hardest hit areas during Hurricane Katrina. News reports indicate that floodwaters are overtopping levees. Plaquemines is the parish with the most combined land and water area in the Louisiana. Louisiana’s EMAC request for maritime law enforcement assistance also went out to Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ohio, Missouri and Georgia.