Early in the morning on September 1, 2005, the Southern Area IMT, called upon to provide assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, arrived at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, stepping into a surreal, grim, and profoundly chaotic world.
Hundreds of patients were scattered about the main terminal and ticketing area, over 300 of them confined to stretchers. Most were elderly and infirm, but many were injured during the hurricane.
At the same time, the evacuation of displaced residents had begun. Evacuees arrived by bus and helicopter, many apparently from nursing homes. In the days ahead, the airport was the portal for more than 10,000 evacuees, who were transported from the airport on approximately 60 flights in commercial jets or military medical C-130s and C-17s.
A host of emergency responders—Disaster Medical Assistance Teams, Federal Protective Service, Nevada National Guard, FEMA representatives, Jefferson Parish Police, Transportation Security Agency, Air Force Medical and Evacuation forces, Airport Authority, and a few members of New Orleans Fire Department—had converged on the scene. Each team had its own mission, and the teams were not talking with each other.
At 1900 on the day they arrived, the IMT conducted their first planning meeting with representatives from many of the teams. The goals of the meeting were to organize operations, set up a communications system, and identify needs for supplies.
During the meeting, each representative was asked to provide three pieces of information—team name, team leader, and one item they needed.
The light-hearted chuckles through the crowd indicated that everyone could use a little caffeine.
“No. You don’t understand. I’m talking about pounds and pounds of coffee,” he said. “Every time we open the door of the temporary morgue, the stench is so bad that we need to pour a pound of coffee inside.”
Out of that first meeting came the Incident Action Plan identifying phone numbers, contact names, agency missions, feeding and showering schedules, and other pertinent information.
With communications among teams critical and telephone and cell phone coverage unreliable, the IMT distributed more than 300 radios to more than 10 agencies. Before long, teams were communicating with other teams, working together to solve problems and consolidate redundant efforts.
For the next 17 days, the IMT held planning meetings at 0700 and 1900. After spotty attendance at the first meeting, word got around that the meetings were critical, and everyone came to the meetings to provide input and share information.
IMT members indicated that their assignment at the New Orleans airport represented one of the greatest challenges of their careers. At the same time, most said that they would go back and do it all over again. “Every day we knew we were making a difference,” said the IC. “We know that if we can help everyone get on the same page, we can do outstanding work—in any environment.”
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