Several squadrons of the Civil Air Patrol began dedicating all their resources to the rescue effort, volunteering 3,200 hours of work in the first five days after the disaster. Operation Brother’s Keeper also swung into action with 164 aircraft. Like my eastbound airline flight, I deliberately flight-planned well north of the standard Great Circle route, 70 miles north of New Orleans and even Baton Rouge, La., where state and federal relief aircraft were gathering for the largest rescue effort in American history. The initial ceiling was established at 5,000 feet to discourage lookeeloos without blocking the direct transit route between the Southeast and Southwest.Īs I looked down from two miles above the Deep South, there was little visible sign of the devastation that was progressively displacing nearly a million people.
Hurricane katrina aftermath no crossing state borders series#
Soon after Katrina decimated the Gulf Coast, the feds placed a series of TFRs along the beach, straddling the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Also, the FAA apparently didn’t want my help.
Most airports along the coast were still under water or severely damaged from the wind. I rationalized my overflight on the premise that there was probably nothing I could do to help, anyway. It didn’t seem quite fair that I should be cool and comfortable traveling in the comparative lap of luxury, while so many people below were so miserable. Paul Desmond was playing on the CD, the sky was smooth and cool, and I reveled in clear air and sunshine, clocking 155 knots into the wind toward Monroe, La., and eventually on to Long Beach. I cruised along, snug and comfortable at 10,500 feet above it all, far up on top of the heat haze of August Alabama, relaxing in my plush Oregon Aero seat.
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