When Hurricane Katrina hit the coasts of Alabama, Louisianan and Mississippi on August 29, 2005, it caused the worst natural disaster in US history, causing an amazing $81-Billion in damage and taking with it no less than 1,836 people who died in the actual hurricane and in the subsequent floods. Just after Katrina, Hurricane Rita pounded the same area, further complicating the recovery efforts. While the US Federal response by FEMA and other agencies was then and will likely continue to be chastised, one government agency had nothing but good things said about it, the United States Coast Guard
In Katrina's Wake: The U.S. Coast Guard and the Gulf Coast Hurricanes of 2005
Author Donald Canney has thoroughly researched and written the story of the USCG and its response in the hard summer of 2005 along the Gulf Coast. He tells the story of the revolutionary DART teams who, with their tiny flat-bottomed punts shuttled boatload after boatload of shattered and distraught survivors through the submerged streets of New Orleans. He tells how the crews of buoy tenders, normally tasks with maintaining navigational aids, found themselves on the frontlines of the an almost apocalyptic scene after the storm and how they endured and gave hope, security and safety to those without it.
He tells of the overworked heroic aircrews, which flew all-night from around the country to pull survivors from rooftops and treetops, in conditions no one could train for. The story of the Gulfport Coast Guard Station, which was swept away except for the station's dog, is told. The story of the old Vietnam War-era cutter USCGC Decisive, who became the headquarters of the recovery in Mississippi, is told. These stories and many others are now documented in the work.
The cuttermen, the aircrews, the reservists, and the boat crews all working together, some 5,000 personnel from around the country is told in detail. The fact that these saviors rescued 33,735 people in distress without once complaining, giving excuses, or asking for more, is told in full detail.
Author and book details
The books author is Donald L. Canney, recently retired from the U.S. Coast Guard historian’s office, is the author of six books, including Africa Squadron: the U.S. Navy and the Slave Trade, 1842–1861, and U. S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790–1935. Canney knows his Coast Guard history, and it shows.
The 288-page book is hardcover, end noted and indexed, and contains many new and useful illustrations. Published by the University Press of Florida, Part of their New Perspectives on Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology series, it is a welcome addition in scholarship both about domestic disaster relief, and about the modern US Coast Guard in general.
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