Hurricane Katrina Rescue Missions

Coast Guard and rescue operations during Hurricane Katrina, documenting the efforts and challenges faced in flood relief.

Search and Rescue Operations - Helicopter - 26-HK-261-71. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-398-44. Hurricane Katrina

Operation Zephyr - 26-HK-154-130. Images from Lt. Williams. Hurricane Katrina

Operation Zephyr - 26-HK-154-75. Images from Lt. Williams. Hurricane Katrina

Search and Rescue Operations - Helicopter - 26-HK-261-71. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-397-74. Hurricane Katrina

Operation Zephyr - 26-HK-154-115. Images from Lt. Williams. Hurricane Katrina

Coast Guard Personnel - 26-HK-413-68. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-400-31. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - Personnel - 26-HK-379-68. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-398-93. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-397-65. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - MSO St. Louis Operations - 26-HK-390-107. Hurricane Katrina

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 108TH Chemical Company, 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Carolina Army National Guard assist firefighters from Fire Station 15 conduct a high-water rescue mission of a family in downtown Charleston, September 11, 2017. The Soldiers forged a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV) through flooded streets to transport firefighters and move the family to a safer location.

050911-N-5526M-019. Base: New Orleans State: Louisiana (LA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: JTF-KATRINA, FLEET COMBAT CAMERA

Airmen assigned to the 178th Wing in Springfield, Ohio partnered with the Cincinnati Fire Department to demonstrate their water rescue capabilities Sept. 13, 2022 for a visiting delegation of Serbians. The Serbian delegation toured numerous fire departments in the area to learn how to best establish a volunteer firefighter program in their country.

Coast Guard National Strike Force members scan Pine Island, Florida for people in need on Oct. 1, 2022. The National Strike Force team in Southwest Florida comprises members from the Pacific, Gulf, and Atlantic strike teams.

Operation Zephyr - 26-HK-154-243. Images from Lt. Williams. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-400-37. Hurricane Katrina

RIO DE JANEIRO - Members of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 (MDSU-2) assists a diver out of the water during UNITAS LXIII, Sept. 19, 2022. UNITAS is the worlds longest-running maritime exercise. Hosted this year by Brazil, it brings together multinational forces from Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Namibia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and the United States conducting operations in and off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. The exercise trains forces to conduct joint maritime operations through the execution of anti-surface, anti-submarine, anti-air, amphibious and electronic warfare operations that enhance warfighting proficiency and increase interoperability among participating naval and marine forces.

Coast Guard Personnel - 26-HK-413-98. Hurricane Katrina

Miscellaneous - Coast Guard Operations - 26-HK-432-79. Rest break. Hurricane Katrina

Coast Guard personnel assigned to the Gulf, Atlantic and Pacific Strike teams launch shallow water boats to scan for unaccounted people on Sept. 29, 2022, in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Coast Guard strike force teams mobilized to areas affected by Hurricane Ian to perform urban search and rescue.

UH-60 Black Hawk hoist training at Fort McCoy's Big Sandy LakeSoldiers with the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion and 1-168th Force Support Squadron with the Wisconsin National Guard training crew chiefs, medics and pilots live hoist training at Big Sandy Lake on June 7, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis.

A staff member from War Memorial Hospital/MyMichigan Health discusses first aid technique with a Coast Guard boarding team member during a full-scale exercise in the Straits of Mackinac April 27, 2022. The exercise tested the ability of law enforcement and emergency medical personnel to secure a commercial vessel and treat injured people in the event of an incident. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer John Masson.

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-399-60. Hurricane Katrina

Operation Zephyr - 26-HK-154-93. Images from Lt. Williams. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-397-104. Hurricane Katrina

000722-N-5329L-022. Base: Cape Hatteras State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Coast Guard personnel from the Gulf, Atlantic, and Pacific Strike teams staged in Punta Rassa, Florida to assist the people of the Sanibel Island community, who were stranded due to Hurricane Ian on Sept. 30, 2022. The strike forces transferred over 30 people to Floridas mainland to seek shelter and resources.

A U.S. Navy SEAL assigned to a Naval Special Operations Team is assisted while getting in the water during a dive mission as part of exercise UNITAS LXIII in Rio de Janeiro, Sept. 12, 2022. UNITAS is the world's longest-running annual multinational maritime exercise that focuses on enhancing interoperability among multiple nations and joint forces during littoral and amphibious operations in order to build on existing regional partnerships and create new enduring relationships that promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the U.S. Southern Commands area of responsibility.

U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers and first responders-rescuers with the South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (SC-HART) conduct aerial-rescue training in mountainous terrain, Table Rock area, South Carolina, Aug. 22-26, 2022. The event included a variety of training scenarios emphasizing survivor extractions from mountain slopes and tops, as well as aquatic rescues from rivers and lakes. In addition, air crews and rescuers performed refresher and proficiency training for the ongoing hurricane season. SC-HART is a collaborative effort between the South Carolina Army National Guard and State Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (SC-TF1) under the direction of the Office of the State Fire Marshal, South Carolina Emergency Management Division. The South Carolina Army National Guard contributes to the program with instructors, crews, support personnel, and UH-60 Blackhawk and LUH-72 Lakota helicopters; all military personnel and aircrafts are assigned to 59th Aviation Troop Command,

Miscellaneous - Coast Guard Operations - 26-HK-433-31. Hurricane Katrina

Aftermath - Displaced Boats - Port Security Unit (PSU) 309 - 26-HK-27-24. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - Personnel - 26-HK-378-28. Hurricane Katrina

Fireman Brandon Caliwag, a boat crew member at Coast Guard Station Galveston, throws a heaving line bag to two boaters aboard an aground vessel north of the Bolivar Ferry Landing near Galveston, Texas, Oct. 20, 2022. Caliwag and the other members of a Station Galveston 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew safely removed the two men from the 17-foot pleasure craft, which was taking on water.

Marine Safety Unit - 26-HK-133-164. Hurricane Katrina

The Frederic Township Fire Department administers aid while performing a medical response training Northern Strike 22-2, at Camp Grayling, Mich., Aug. 5, 2022. The FTFD provides Camp Grayling and Northern Strike with fire and emergency response support, which allows visiting units to build readiness in a safe training environment.

Members from the U.S. Coast Guard and Caribbean partner nations conduct at-sea boardings during the Tradewinds 2022 maritime tactical track culminating exercise in Belize City, Belize, on May 18, 2022. Boat crews interdicted role-playing opposing force vessels, and boarding teams conducted at-sea boardings simulating the discovery of illicit drug activity in drug smuggling and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-398-63. Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, LA, September 7, 2005 -- FEMA Urban Search and Rescue members finish up a search for residents in areas impacted by Hurricane Katriana. The team was using a boat to access areas that remain flooded. Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

050904-C-4987C-503. two Coast Guardsmen on flooded street, one pulling SeaArk response boat. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-398-134. Hurricane Katrina

Search and Rescue Operations - Helicopter - 26-HK-261-75. Hurricane Katrina

A Soldier of the Louisiana National Guard's 832nd Engineer Utilities Detachment pulls a water-rescue training dummy from the waters of Bayou Sorrel under the supervision of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary member from Flotilla 4-10, 8th Coastal Region June 17, 2016. Soldiers conducted a boater's safety training course before learning how to operate a boat for flood rescue operations that may occur in the future.

Miscellaneous - Coast Guard Operations - 26-HK-432-73. PO Miller. Hurricane Katrina

Coast Guard Personnel and Civilian Operations - 26-HK-72-50. Coast Guardsman, incluing NSF member, underway on small boat near boom. Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, LA, August 31, 2005 -- Members of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue task forces and local rescue personnel continue to help residents impacted by Hurricane Katrina. These residents were transported to the area from various neighborhoods and need to cross over the tracks to get on a second boat which will bring them to dry land.

Aftermath - Displaced Boats - Miscellaneous - 26-HK-28-57. Coast Guardsmen on boat under bridge looking at partially submerged vessels in background. Hurricane Katrina

Miscellaneous - Coast Guard Operations - 26-HK-433-74. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-398-95. Hurricane Katrina

Members of a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) recovery team create a dam for a wet-screen pond during a DPAA recovery mission in England, April 30, 2022. The recovery team built a dam in the center of the pond to prevent silt from clogging the hoses while the team is screening. DPAAs mission is to achieve the fullest possible accounting for missing and unaccounted-for U.S. personnel to their families and our nation.

Marine Safety Unit - 26-HK-132-71. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - Personnel - 26-HK-381-60. Hurricane Katrina

A Coast Guard Station Key West law enforcement crew transports Cuban migrants off Key West, Florida, Oct. 19, 2022. Coast Guard Station Key West is a multi-mission unit located in Key West, Florida.

040729-F-1166S-006. Base: Long Beach Island State: New Jersey (NJ) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew move into a hoisting position above Fireman Jack Ramey and Petty Officer 3rd Class Sean Figgs aboard a Station Portsmouth 45-foot response boat during a Harborfest SAR demonstration in the Elizabeth River, June 10, 2022. This was the first year since 2019 that Norfolk Harborfest had been celebrated in person due to COVID-19 safety precautions. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Dustin R. Williams

Marine Safety Unit - 26-HK-133-179. Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Ike, Sabine Pass, TX, September 14, 2008 Members of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue team, Indiana Task Force 1 go into neighborhoods impacted by Hurricane Ike to search for people needing help getting out of the area. Sabine Pass, TX, September 14, 2008--Members of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue team, Indiana Task Force 1 go into neighborhoods impacted by Hurricane Ike to search for people needing help getting out of the area.. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - MSO St. Louis Operations - 26-HK-390-103. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - MSO St. Louis Operations - 26-HK-390-97. Hurricane Katrina

After recovering a casualty during a wide area search, a task force team calls in a medevac and prepares him for transport during a Search and Rescue Exercise which combines Floridas first responders and the Florida National Guards the Florida National Guards Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) Enhanced Response Force Package. This annual event allows the teams to share lessons learned and refine best practices to better support the citizens of Florida in the next state disaster.

Members of the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 7 members from San Diego, California set out on the Zodiac boat to begin their initial search for the four missing 500 pound Mark 82 bombs carried by the A-10 that crashed near Gold Dust Peak. New York Lake is the first of six lakes in the Gold Dust Peak that will be searched. Base: New York Lake State: Colorado (CO) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Captain Stanton - Aftermath - 26-HK-280-25. Hurricane Katrina

The Raft of the Medusa

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-399-23. Hurricane Katrina

Army Staff Sgt. Mark Vandeventer, a soldier with the 71st Civil Support Team, Iowa National Guard, and Air Force Tech Sgt. Brandon Lorton, also with the 71st CST, set up a decontamination line for the Vigilant Guard exercise. Guard units, such as the 71st CST, are participating in the nation wide Vigilant Guard exercise that prepares and tests National Guard members and local law enforcement for emergency reponses for incidents and disasters.

Marine Safety Unit - 26-HK-132-50. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - Personnel - 26-HK-381-69. Hurricane Katrina

Marine Safety Unit - 26-HK-133-29. Hurricane Katrina

Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) - Miscellaneous - 26-HK-126-48. Hurricane Katrina

Personnel from Commander, Navy Region Japan (CNRJ) Fire & Emergency Services Sasebo transport Master-at-Arms 1st Class James Stoffel to an ambulance after sustaining a simulated injury as part of a mass casualty drill during Exercise Citadel Pacific 2022 (CP22) at Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo (CFAS) Aug. 17, 2022. CP22 is an annual exercise that is not in response to any specific real-world threat but is used to evaluate the readiness of fleet and installation security programs.

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - 26-HK-398-136. Hurricane Katrina

Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS) international students from Colombia, participate insertion and extraction techniques on the Pearl River, near the John C. Stennis Space Center, in south Mississippi, November 30, 2022. The eight-week course Patrol Craft Officer Riverine (PCOR) course is designed to provide international students with the specialized training necessary to effectively plan and safely execute patrol craft actions in a riverine environment.NAVSCIATTS trains and educates foreign Special Operations Forces, SOF-like forces and SOF enables across the tactical, operational and strategic spectrums through in-residence and Mobile Training Team Courses of Instruction; and serves as USSOCOMs premier Security Force Assistance training asset. More than 13,000 students from more than 125 Partner Nations have trained with this Naval Special Warfare command since 1963. (U.S. Navy photos by Michael Williams)

Marine Safety Unit - 26-HK-133-159. Hurricane Katrina

The Indiana Helocopter Aquatic Rescue Team participated in a multi-agency exercise in College Station, Texas, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Despite the Texas-summer heat, Indiana HART showcased their aquatic rescue skills alongside other National Guard, law enforcement, fire rescue and first responder agencies from various states.

Supplies - 26-HK-269-16. Hurricane Katrina

Capt. Stefani Gorman, marine operations officer, and Thomas Fry, fireboat engineer, both with the Philadelphia Fire Department, deliver a notional victim to mass casualty decontamination personnel assigned to the 140th Chemical Company, California National Guard, at the Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pa. July 26, 2022. Task Force 46 and over 600 personnel from its federal, state, local, private and academic partners collaborated to successfully complete the most recent Dense Urban Terrain (DUT) exercise. The DUT series of exercises began in 2018 and has become one of the Nations premier all-hazard and homeland defense exercises designed to enhance interagency interoperability in the event of “Americas worst day”.

Public Affairs - Rescue - 26-HK-418-35. Hurricane Katrina

Search and Rescue Operations - Helicopter - 26-HK-261-35. Hurricane Katrina

061202-N-0127C-001. Base: USS Robert G. Bradley (FFG 49) Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

Rotunda, FL (Sept. 29, 2022) Boat teams one and two of FEMA Virginia Task Force 2 commence search and rescue on Palm Island. (FEMA Photo by Lameen Witter)

Airmen from the New York Air National Guard's 106th Rescue Wing conducting rescue operations in the Beaumont, Texas area on August 30, 2017. The 106th Rescue wing deployed 120 Airmen, three HH-60 Pavehawk rescue helicopters and two HC-130 search and rescue aircraft to aid the Texas National Guard.

Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) - Marine Safety Office St. Louis - 26-HK-120-37. Hurricane Katrina

Coast Guard Personnel and Civilian Operations - 26-HK-72-41. Coast Guardsman and civilians underway in marshy area on small boat2. Hurricane Katrina

Florida Army and Air National Guard personnel conduct maritime operations during Hurricane Ian relief efforts, Punta Gorda, Fla., Oct. 1, 2022. Over 6,000 troops were mobilized in support of residents through the use of all available air, land and maritime assets. Guardsmen conducted 24 hour operations that included road clearing, home evacuations, supply stations as well as search and rescue operations. ( U.S. Army photo by Sgt. N.W. Huertas)

Rotunda, FL (Sept. 29, 2022) Boat teams one and two of FEMA Virginia Task Force 2 commence search and rescue on Palm Island. (FEMA Photo by Lameen Witter)

U.S. Air Force fire protection specialists assigned to the 673d Civil Engineer Squadron conduct ice rescue training at Six Mile Lake on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan. 8, 2023. After completing a classroom course, the JBER firefighters took to the ice to test their skills in a series of scenarios designed to simulate real-world rescues. The firefighters received certifications as ice rescue technicians having qualified in the skills needed to conduct rescue and recovery operations in extreme cold-weather environments.

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - New Orleans Flood Operations - Personnel - 26-HK-378-8. Hurricane Katrina

Search and Rescue Operations - Helicopter - 26-HK-261-36. Hurricane Katrina

Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) Kodiak personnel conduct a safety brief before a tow training evolution in Womens Bay, Alaska, Sept. 7, 2022. ANT Kodiak is responsible for ensuring the proper operation of 110 aids to navigation beacons throughout the state of Alaska. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ian Gray.

Florida National Guard Soldiers maneuver through high waters Sarasota, Fla, Sept. 29, 2022. The Florida National Guard is responding to Hurricane Ian by utilizing all ground, air and maritime components in support of the community. Hurricane Ian made a significant impact on residents by damaging roads, limiting resources and leaving some in need of search and rescue. ( U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Victor Jeronimo)

Joint Task Force - Bethel service members assist with storm debris removal as part of Operation Merbok Response in Bethel, Alaska, Sept. 23, 2022. More than 130 members of the Alaska Organized Militia, which includes members of the Alaska National Guard, Alaska State Defense Force and Alaska Naval Militia, were activated following a disaster declaration issued Sept. 17 after the remnants of Typhoon Merbok caused dramatic flooding across more than 1,000 miles of Alaskan coastline. (Alaska National Guard photo by Senior Airman Emily Batchelor)

Firefighters wearing cold-water immersion protective suits hold surface ice rescue training Jan. 11, 2023, at Big Sandy Lake at Fort McCoy, Wis., for members of the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department. The training was done in conjunction with ice rescue training for the department's dive team where a simulated underwater victim was also rescued by a diver. The Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department is among only a small number of military fire departments with a dive team and ice rescue capabilities.

Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, LA, August 31, 2005 -- Residents rescued by local rescuers are transported back to a staging area set up for search operations. Behind the boat is a pumping station.

Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) - Marine Safety Office St. Louis - 26-HK-119-13. Hurricane Katrina

Great Lakes Search and Rescue Detachment - 26-HK-143-175. Hurricane Katrina

Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napiers small boat crew while completing the transfer of 68 Haitian survivors to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico July 29, 2022, who were abandoned offshore of Mona Island by smugglers the morning of July 28, 2022.

Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge - MSO St. Louis Operations - 26-HK-390-90. Hurricane Katrina

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