On August 29, 2005 at approximately 10am CDT, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the southernmost coast of Mississippi and wreaked havoc in the area. In the aftermath, Apex firefighters wanted to find a way to help as we'd heard that many of the Gulf Coast fire departments had been devastated by the storm.
Fire Chief Mark Haraway worked tirelessly to find a contact at a department in need - not surprisingly, most of the normal channels for assistance were clogged and getting any information was difficult at best. And on top of that, the hardest hit areas had lost all of their basic services, including telephone communications, so just getting in touch with anyone there was a challenge.
(Map courtesy of National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration)
Finally, Chief Haraway managed to find the cell phone number of Mike Smith, Assistant Chief of the Waveland Fire Department in Mississippi. This small town on the southernmost coast of the state had taken a direct hit from the massive storm - on the map at left, the orange dot which marks the actual position of the storm at 10am CDT, shows that Waveland was at "Ground Zero". After hearing that their fire department lost everything, including all of its equipment, apparatus, and stations, the idea was born to donate Engine 5, our 1984 Ford Quality pumper, to Waveland.
Unbelievably, state regulations seemed not to allow the municipality of the Town of Apex to donate public property to an out-of-state agency, even in such a dire emergency! It took several months of negotiations with Town officials before it was determined that the Apex Volunteer Firefighter's Organization, which is not bound by statutes the way the Town is, was the only avenue by which this donation could legally be made.
At the Apex Town Council meeting on January 3, 2006, the AVFO submitted a bid to purchase the truck from the Town for $500, and it was unanimously approved by the council members. By a stroke of luck, local businessman Bob Ohmann learned of our efforts to help the Waveland Fire Department, and he put the icing on the cake by throwing in his own fire truck donation AND a means to transport both apparatus to the Gulf Coast!
On January 12, the fire trucks started the long journey south. Three of our volunteer firefighters also made the 14-hour drive so that we could personally meet the Waveland firefighters and present them with the apparatus. It was an experience that none of us will ever forget. Nearly 5 months after the storm, the degree of devastation in the hardest-hit areas is still phenomenal. Though photos do not do it justice, I hope they will give at least some impression of the challenges that residents of these communities will be facing for years to come.
As media attention begins to wane, and the rest of the country goes on with their normal lives, many Gulf Coast residents are only just beginning what will surely be a very long and very painful recovery process. I wanted to put these photo pages together not only to share our experience, but also to make sure that people DON'T forget, and that much-needed assistance continues to be offered, whether it be volunteer hours, donations, or whatever else folks may ask for!
Many thanks to Assistant Chief Smith, Chief David Garcia and the Waveland firefighters, who welcomed us into their stations, took time out of their busy day to meet with us, and showed us around what is left of their town. We sincerely appreciate the hospitality that was extended to us during our stay.
One of the strongest lasting impressions for me was that, despite the fact that most of the firefighters suffered tremendous personal tragedy in the storm - many lost their homes and all of their belongings - they still continue to be dedicated to serving their community. It was an honor to meet these heros, and their resilience and perserverence should serve as an inspiration to us all.
Click the links below to read about our trip and view the photos.
(Map courtesy of National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration)
