Katrina...8 years ago today
- Thread starter redytrk
- Start date
Some of the most vivid memories I have from 10 years of expediting are about Katrina. I hope to never see a disaster like that again.
One of the things that struck me was how widespread the destruction was. Unlike a tornado where you can drive out of the disaster zone in a few minutes, you could drive for hours where Katrina hit and still be in the zone.
One of the runs we did was to deliver a load of bulletproof vests to a small army of security officers at a large chemical plant. Employees and their families fled to and sought shelter in the plant after the storm. They had food and water and dry ground.
This was while social order was breaking down in the city and total mayhem ruled in the Superdome. The very real fear was, and this was stated to us by the officers, that marauding hoards would storm the facility to get the food, water and shelter these people had. That is why additional officers were brought in and additional weapons and body armor were being issued. They were getting ready to gun people down if it came to that.
It was sad. They were terrified by what they saw on TV. Their hearts and minds did not go to helping others, they went to keeping what they had.
Here's a photo showing the truck we drove at the time. That was a run bringing bottled water to telephone company workers. We spent a lot of time working our way through debris on runs like that.
Night driving was especially challenging. With no power, there was no street lighting. This was before GPS was widely used by truckers. With no GPS, I sometimes had to get out of the truck and use a spotlight to find the blown-over street sign to figure out where we were.
One of the things that struck me was how widespread the destruction was. Unlike a tornado where you can drive out of the disaster zone in a few minutes, you could drive for hours where Katrina hit and still be in the zone.
One of the runs we did was to deliver a load of bulletproof vests to a small army of security officers at a large chemical plant. Employees and their families fled to and sought shelter in the plant after the storm. They had food and water and dry ground.
This was while social order was breaking down in the city and total mayhem ruled in the Superdome. The very real fear was, and this was stated to us by the officers, that marauding hoards would storm the facility to get the food, water and shelter these people had. That is why additional officers were brought in and additional weapons and body armor were being issued. They were getting ready to gun people down if it came to that.
It was sad. They were terrified by what they saw on TV. Their hearts and minds did not go to helping others, they went to keeping what they had.
Here's a photo showing the truck we drove at the time. That was a run bringing bottled water to telephone company workers. We spent a lot of time working our way through debris on runs like that.
Night driving was especially challenging. With no power, there was no street lighting. This was before GPS was widely used by truckers. With no GPS, I sometimes had to get out of the truck and use a spotlight to find the blown-over street sign to figure out where we were.
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tenntrucker
Expert Expediter
My oldest son was a NOPD officer during this, a foot patrol officer on Bourbon st. His partner fleed the city, but he stood his ground and stayed through it all. Here is a picture of him from a Fox News brodcast. He was guarding a grocery store from looters, not really stopping people from getting food just making sure they didn't trash the store.
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We ran 4 loads into that area. The first was 3 days before it hit. We carried supplies for a shelter that was already set up.
Interesting stories. Mine is boring I was in Hagerstown, MD delivering pet food to a petco dc. I remember the fuel shortages and price spikes that shocked everyone though. Can't remember for certain but I believe diesel went up to and well over $4 a gallon for a week or so.
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When I saw the photo of N.O. on the front page of the USA Today morning paper, I stood on the sidewalk and just cried. I'd lived there for a couple years, and had no way of knowing if any of the dead were friends. [As far as I know, none were, but there are a couple I never did find]. When I saw it for myself a few weeks later, I understood why politicians always tour disaster sites [I'd always thought it was just rubbernecking]: because you really can't imagine, no matter how many photos & videos you've seen. I've been through both hurricanes & tornadoes, and thought I was prepared, but driving around the Superdome, I just couldn't believe the devastation, and, like ATeam said, it went on for miles and miles. I hope I never see anything like it again.
There will always be another storm.
Ya think?
There will never be another New Orleans, though. It was one of the few unique cities in the US, and while Katrina didn't damage the French Quarter, it is different than it was before. Probably better in some ways, and still unique, but not the same city it was.
Ya think?
Been there. Both in it's worst and in better times. No where near my favorite place.
They were lucky. Katrina could have been FAR worse. Someday, it will be. There is a certain amount of "not smart" living below sea level in an area that gets hit by hurricanes on a regular basis.
franklinmoon
Rookie Expediter
Katrina was devastating i have really bad experience of it. Everybody incurred such huge losses and damages.
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guido4475
Not a Member
I remember that..i was on a load from Denver to Dallas, than pre booked on one from Houston to Yakima Washington..waited in Dallas for the bad weather to clear, reminding dispatch what was going on..oh, they'll be open! She said..I'm like, yea, right...just after a hurricane has come through...I got down there at night and it was like a war zone..no.power, trees everywhere..of course, the next morning they're closed...dispatch asks, are you sure???...I wanted to crawl through the phone and....well,...ya know...
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guido4475
Not a Member
Ended up getting the load 2 days later...in the meantime, i was a source of electricity for the people who were there trying to work for their coffee addiction..lol..had a line of them waiting for coffee on a table next to the truck...lol.shoulda charged them, but felt bad for them enough not to...the damage down there was humbling..
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