CG rescues 13 during Ida

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard conducted six search and rescues, in Louisiana and Texas, rescuing 13 people and two animals, and assisting six other people Aug. 31 in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Flight crews from CG Air Station New Orleans, CG Aviation Training Center (ATC) Mobile, Ala., and CG Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., conducted flights for more than 27 hours. The SAR efforts conducted by Air Station New Orleans on Aug. 30 included an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew landing on a Leesville, La., highway to take an injured man to West Jefferson Hospital in stable condition. In Port Sulphur, La., the CG sent another Dolphin to aid a shrimp boat that had caught fire and rescued a crew member that swam to shore. He was transported to West Jefferson Hospital in Marrero. On August 3, in Grand Isle, La., an MH-65 aircrew responded to a report of two men needing medical assistance; one having difficulties from a pre-existing condition and the other with a leg injury. The aircrew lowered a rescue swimmer to assess the patients who were transferred to University Medical Center in New Orleans. The following search and rescue efforts conducted by ATC Mobile: On Aug. 31 in Houston, Texas, an MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew assisted in hospital transfers of four patients. On Aug. 30, in La Place, La., an MH-65 aircrew medevaced a middle-aged woman suffering from seizures and transferred her to West Jefferson Hospital. A secondary MH-65 Dolphin helicopter also transported two of her family members to Air Station New Orleans where a vehicle was waiting to drive them to the hospital. On Aug. 30, Air Station Cape Cod, conducted a beach landing in Grand Isle, La., in an MH-60 to check for signs of distress and found eight people and two felines in a severely damaged motel. They requested to depart the island to safety. The aircrew transported everyone to the Houma (La.) Civic Center. (Source: Coast Guard 08/31/21)