Louisiana Guardsmen Rescue Thousands in Floods

WASHINGTON — Louisiana National Guardsmen have rescued more than 4,000 people in the floods that have inundated the state over the past week, a state Guard spokesman said.

About 1,200 Louisiana Army and Air National Guard members have been mobilized and are working with local partners to support the mission, said Air Force Col. Pete Schneider, the state public affairs officer for the Louisiana National Guard.

Schneider, who spoke today in a phone interview from New Orleans, said flood waters following heavy rains have inundated neighborhoods, washed over roads and trapped residents. Soldiers and airmen are searching neighborhoods and going door-to-door to rescue people, he said.

Working in Their Own Neighborhoods

"A lot of these Guardsmen are doing lifesaving in their own neighborhoods, so they're serving in the communities where they live," he said. "We are in every part of the state. We're actually in 33 parishes in the state."

The Guardsmen, who have been working around the clock since last week, are performing search and rescue operations using almost every piece of equipment they have, including boats, trucks, Humvees and helicopters, the colonel said. Boat crews and aircrews have rescued people stranded around dangerous, quickly moving flood waters, he added.

At last tally, Schneider said, Louisiana Guardsmen had rescued 4,255 people and 354 pets and had issued nearly 72,000 bottles of water, more than a million sandbags, 700 cots, and hundreds of packaged meals.

After the waters recede, Schneider said, the National Guard will support recovery efforts, a mission that could last for months.

In addition to fighting the nation's wars, National Guardsmen are proud to serve and protect their state and communities, the colonel said. "They're able to make an immediate difference by saving lives [and] protecting property," he said. "If you ask them, this is why they joined."

Pentagon Kudos

At the Pentagon today, a Defense Department spokesman commended the efforts of the men and women of the Louisiana National Guard.

"This is just another example of the outstanding efforts of our National Guard to help the people of their state in their greatest time of need," Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said.

Yesterday, President Barack Obama declared that a major disaster exists in Louisiana, and he ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.