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WTC Vets to Help Rebuild St. Bernard’s Parish, Louisiana
Newly-established emergency response team to assist Katrina’s forgotten victims.
St. Bernard Parish, LA (November 22, 2007) -- If you’re visiting the New Orleans area in early December, and you encounter some nice folks with foreign accents -- like Brooklyn and North Jersey -- chances are you’ve just met some heroes, the H.E.A.R.T. 911 Rescue Team. The New York-based emergency team will be in Louisiana working to rebuild parts of St. Bernard Parish, once a thriving middle class community of nearly 70,000 – that is, until Katrina came along.
The non-profit, volunteer response group is comprised of veteran police officers, firefighters and construction workers, all of whom served at Ground Zero during rescue and recovery operations following the September 11th attacks. On this special deployment, family members of victims of the 9/11 tragedy will be joining them.
Mission Possible
Mission Possible
To fully appreciate the H.E.A.R.T. Team’s mission in St. Bernard’s, you need to understand how Katrina affected this quaint parish that borders New Orleans’ 9th Ward. In short, the St. Bernard’s was obliterated -- every home, every business, every government building wiped out. (read: The Backstory)
You’re probably asking yourself, “St. Bernard Parish? I don’t recall any mention of that community during coverage of the Katrina disaster.” You’re right; you never did see news reports from the parish, because the disaster in St. Bernard’s was never really covered. Instead, TV networks and news agencies chose to pick up racially motivated stories of government neglect coming out of New Orleans itself.
Two years after Katrina plowed through Louisiana, St. Bernard Parish is still very much like it was on August 30, 2005 -- a wasteland. That’s why the H.E.A.R.T. (Healing Emergency Aid Response Team) 911 Rescue Team chose the parish for its very first deployment.
The primary mission of H.E.A.R.T. 911 is to aid in disaster relief efforts around the world by organizing teams of volunteer rescue and recovery workers to help affected areas. While in St. Bernard’s the 50-member team will help rebuild homes and community facilities in the parish.
The H.E.A.R.T. 911 Commanders"We learned a great deal working on the recovery effort following the events of September 11th and now we want to bring together our expertise to support the victims of other tragedies," said Lt Bill Keegan (PAPD-retired) who was the Night Operations/Safety Commander for the FDNY at the World Trade Center. He served at Ground Zero from September 11, 2001 until it closed on June 3, 2002.
Keegan heads the H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 Rescue Team along with Owen McCaffery and John Moran who held the same positions as Lt. Keegan at the site for the NYPD. The trio is joined by Tom Thees, whose financial background allows him to seek corporate financing for the team.
Keegan heads the H.E.A.R.T. 9/11 Rescue Team along with Owen McCaffery and John Moran who held the same positions as Lt. Keegan at the site for the NYPD. The trio is joined by Tom Thees, whose financial background allows him to seek corporate financing for the team.
Their W.T.C. Rescue/Recovery experience has given the H.E.A.R.T 911 organization a unique overview of the coordinated and sustained effort needed to respond to a crisis.
"The experience of 9/11 left us with an overwhelming need to use what we've learned to aid in other disaster relief work", said Keegan.
The current team is made up of about 100 firefighters, police officers and construction workers who volunteered or worked on rescue and recovery on September 11th. In the event of another man-made or natural disaster, the team is ready and willing to help.
You can join too!
H.E.A.R.T 911 is seeking additional, experienced emergency personnel to serve on this all-volunteer rapid response team -- regardless of location or affiliation. Personally, I think it’s an ideal opportunity for retired emergency personnel, as well as those who are training for an emergency services position. Enrolling is as easy as logging onto http://www.heart911.org/ and clicking on “How can I help?”
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A comment: It's been 2 years since Katrina wiped out St. Bernard Parish, and during that time the Parish Fire Department's 150 members still have NO Fire Stations to call home. What's the deal? If someone can enlighten me, please email me.
Add a Comment
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Comment by Lou Angeli on November 25, 2007 at 12:13am
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Thanks -- The fire department has 150 career firefighters who are operating from FEMA trailers. Louisiana State Gov't has not yet approached FEMA to re-supply and rebuild the department. They've been waiting two years now -- 2 years!
Lou
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Tell me more!
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Comment by Mary Ellen Shea on November 24, 2007 at 8:56am
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Hi Lou,
I echo Tiger's sentiments above re: Hancock Hope...I see no reason why this couldn't become some form of a collaborative effort between H.E.A.R.T. 911 and Hancock Hope....not only will it help the departments which have yet to get back on their feet post-Katrina, but it gets the message out to the public that NYS Firefighters care..and are going the extra mile. It's a winning combination any way you look at it.
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Comment by Tiger Schmittendorf on November 24, 2007 at 12:29am
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Hi Lou -
Great story.
There's a group of Firefighter Nation members doing great work in the post-Katrina zone.
Look up the profile for Hancock Hope and read the story of these ordinary people doing extraordinary things for their fellow firefighters.
This is truly an untold story. Perhaps you or your film crew could accompany them on their next trip south.
Drop me a line if you're interested in learning more.
Stay safe. Train often.
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