McKinleyville, Ca., (KIEM)- As a result of Hurricane Harvey, the Houston area saw catastrophic flooding. In response, six members of the US Coast Guard stationed at the Humboldt Bay Air Station were sent out to help with search and rescue efforts.
For three days the guardsmen worked shoulder to shoulder with comrades from across the country, complete strangers from air stations as far flung as Alaska, Hawaii, and even Puerto Rico. With standardized training, they were able to form instant and seamless teams.
Pilots logged up to six hours straight in the air at a time, relying on street addresses to locate people in desperate need of rescue. Used to navigating with coordinates and flying over water to help vessels in distress, this was a new task for the pilots. They were essentially ambulance drivers in the air. Given street addresses, pilots like Lt. Commander Derek Schramel, sometimes had to fly low and read the numbers on houses for locators.
“We’re used to flying over the water, looking for vessels in distress. This time we’re looking for houses, for people inside their houses…having to fly in and around trees, power lines and people’s homes was a challenging environment.” Schramel explained.
Pictured: From Left to Right: Derek Shramel (pilot), Neil Romans (pilot), Brent Alexander (maintenance technician), Ruben Ramirez (maintenance technician), Jeffery Botham (maintenance technician), Nick Gardner (rescue swimmer)
Meanwhile, mechanics like Ruben Ramirez, Brent Alexander, and Jeffery Bothman were working twelve to fifteen hour days. Their job was to assist with rescues in part. They were also responsible for the maintenance of close to thirty helicopters. Working night shifts, the aircraft technicians from Humboldt Bay Air Station helped make sure all of the aircraft used for search and rescue operations were running in top condition.
Botham and rescue swimmer Nick Gardner told a story about towing a stranded boat, just after two in the morning. Because the team couldn’t use a hoist to move the vessel to safety on a “shore,” Botham helped hold a line to tow it using the helicopter.
“It was really sad, being up there and flying around. I mean, I’ve seen pictures of flood damage, but pictures don’t really do it justice.” Schramel said, sharing pictures he had taken of the devastating flood waters.
For Gardner, who interacted with more than 43 rescued people in just two days of the time the men were in Texas, his role was often rescuer and barer of bad news. “People want to take a lot of stuff with them.” He explained. Leaving a life long home, or waiting on roof tops for rescue can be a rattling experience.
