Hurricane Katrina
rescue/relief missions close to home for U.S. Customs pilot
By David Sakrison
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Rock Ryen of U.S.
Customs. Photo by Phil Weston |
After Hurricane Katrina
struck New Orleans on August 29, 2005, pilots and aircrews from local,
state, and federal agencies flew countless rescue, relief, and patrol
missions, plucking survivors off rooftops, delivering food and water,
transporting law enforcement and emergency services personnel, and
flying whatever missions were needed to save lives and provide relief.
Rock Ryen is a 20-year
veteran of the U.S. Customs & Border Protection service. Based in
Hammond, Louisiana, about 45 miles north of New Orleans, he flies Cessna
Citations and Eurocopter A-Star helicopters. As Katrina entered the Gulf
of Mexico, he was in Tuscon, Arizona, flying border patrol missions.
"On Saturday, two
days before Katrina hit New Orleans, they sent me home," Ryen said.
At home in Slidell, Louisiana, on the north shore of New Orleans’ Lake
Ponchartrain, Ryen rounded up his wife, two teenage sons, two dogs, and
two pet lizards, and evacuated the family to the U.S. Customs hangar at
Hammond, where several families were sheltering from the coming storm.
Most of the aircraft at Hammond were moved to other bases, out of the
storm’s path.
"The storm hit on
Monday, August 29," Ryen said, "and we started flying missions
on Tuesday. The first thing I did was to land my A-Star helicopter in
the cul-de-sac next to my house. The house sits 12 feet above sea level,
but the storm surge there, off Lake Ponchartrain, was 18 feet."
Ryen’s front yard was
deep in storm debris. When he finally reached the front door, he
wrestled it open, "and water and mud poured out. I just closed the
door and left; I told myself I’d deal with it later."
Flying over his sons’
schools, he saw they were destroyed. "A few days later, we sent the
boys to my parents’ home in Pennsylvania, and they didn’t miss a day
of school," he said.
For the next 10 days,
Ryen, David Grantham, and other U.S. Customs pilots flew helicopter
rescue and relief missions in and around New Orleans. "For the
first two days, we flew the sheriffs and police chiefs around," so
they could see the lay of the land and direct their resources where they
were needed. After that, he used the Customs Service A-Star helicopter
as a spotter aircraft to guide other helicopters, mainly Blackhawks, to
rescue people stranded by floodwaters.
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U.S. Customs &
Border Protection Pilots David Grantham (l.) and Tom Bailey unload
ice from a U.S. Customs Blackhawk helicopter during Hurricane
Katrina relief operations. U.S Customs Photo |
He couldn’t use the
A-Star for rescue, he said, because the helicopter is "already
heavy," loaded down with communications and surveillance equipment.
"I’d see one person on a rooftop, but as soon as I landed to pick
him up, more people would come swarming onto the roof—no way I could
carry the load." Instead, he guided other helicopters to people
needing help. "I also dropped water and MREs (military "meals,
ready-to-eat") to people trapped on rooftops and bridges," he
said. As looting increased, Ryen and others scouted landing zones for
police teams.
The U.S. Navy aircraft
carrier Iwo Jima tied up at the New Orleans docks, at the foot of Canal
Street, to provide a landing pad and fuel.
As a U.S. Marine
helicopter pilot, Ryen flew in some large-scale airborne assaults. But,
he said, "I’ve never seen so many helicopters in the air as I saw
over New Orleans." An Orion P-3 Dome airplane—the Customs Service’s
AWACS—flew overhead. "They directed aircraft in and out of the
TFR (temporary flight restriction) area," Ryen said, "but the
P-3 couldn’t keep track of every individual aircraft operating inside
the TFR. We were on our own. I’m amazed there were no mid-air
collisions."
After 10 days of
rescue/relief missions, the Customs service "cut me loose to take
care of my own problems," he said. Six feet of floodwaters left his
house a mess but not unsalvageable. The walls had to be stripped inside
and out, from the ceilings down, all the wiring was replaced, appliances
were replaced, and the whole structure was treated for mold. He and his
wife moved back in May. "I’m not complaining," Ryen says.
"There are a whole lot of people who lost a whole lot more than we
did."
At the U.S. Customs
exhibit at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, you can see the A-Star helicopter and
photos from the agency’s rescue/relief efforts in New Orleans, and you
can talk with Ryen, Grantham, and other Customs pilots about their role
and missions. You’ll also find displays from 16 other federal agencies
from the United States and Canada. The Federal Pavilion is located north
of the Oshkosh Control Tower, along the flightline.
