Local EMS chief recalls Katrina experience

By TAYLOR BROWN

tbrown@yourmvi.com

When Hurricane Katrina made its way toward the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, residents of the area couldn’t imagine the havoc that would unfold.

The deadliest and costliest storm in U.S. history forced first responders to prepare for the worst under extreme circumstances.

Crews from Monessen were called to Louisiana as part of the Pennsylvania Strike Team, Mon Valley Emergency Medical Services Chief Bill Hess recalls. It was their first hurricane deployment.

The National Urban Search & Rescue Response System, established under the authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 1989, is a framework for organizing federal, state and local partner emergency response teams as integrated federal disaster response task forces. 

The system’s 28 US&R task forces can be deployed by FEMA to a disaster area to provide assistance in structural collapse rescue or they may be pre-positioned when a major disaster threatens a community.

The task forces are equipped and ready to deploy within six hours in various response models. 

When federal support is anticipated prior to an event such as a hurricane, system resources are often pre-positioned along with other federal responders to expedite support following the disaster.  

Katrina was the first time the strike team was deployed.

“Katrina was a first and definitely one of the worst,” Hess said. “Especially when it comes to loss of life. 

“When it hit, they requested teams from all over the country and when they got there it was just horrendous.”

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