Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Louisiana Update
After several days at Camp Mimosa in Baton Rouge, I have landed a position working for the City of New Orleans at the Orleans Parish Emergency Operations Center (EOC). I'm on assignment here for a minimum of 8 days, working 12-24 hour shifts.
We are one-block away from the Superdome right on Poydras Street in Downtown New Orleans. The original location of the EOC was on the 8th Floor in City Hall, which is across the street from our current accommodations in the Grand Ballroom in the vacant Hyatt Hotel.
I'm working in the logistics department with Denise (from our Brooklyn Operation), entering requests for supplies, troops, and personnel and keeping tabs on our available resources for powering the city, feeding the workers, and pumping the water out of the flooded areas.
Yesterday was our first official day working at the EOC. Camp Mimosa sent a crew down to return our rig to baton Rouge and we were left without sleeping quarters or clothing. The city arranged for us to berth on board the USS Iwo Jima for the night, and tonight we may stay there as well, but it is more probable that we'll be staying in a hotel with the rest of the logistics staff.
Staying on board the Iwo Jima was an interesting experience, especially since the Navy had been the only branch of the military that had interested me since I was little. I took some pictures while on board that I will post when I return to New York.
Our new command center in the Hyatt Hotel is amazing, with over 100 computer terminals and staff representing the NOPD, NOFD, US Army, Coast Guard, Navy, the 82nd Airborne, City Utilities and Tranportation, Health Department and more. We are all working together here in the Unified Command to get the City of New Orleans back on it's feet.
I've made many friends with people from around the country including EMS, but also from the Army and several Police Departments. Everyone here is armed to the teeth, so we're pretty safe. There's one sergeant from the National Guard who's going to let me hold his M16 rifle and take a photo. LOL.
I even got offered a job in North Carolina with full paid paramedic classes by the director the EOC.
Well, that's all the update for now, I'll be here in Orleans Parish until at least Monday, so call me on my cell phone.
Doc Out.
Post a Comment
We are one-block away from the Superdome right on Poydras Street in Downtown New Orleans. The original location of the EOC was on the 8th Floor in City Hall, which is across the street from our current accommodations in the Grand Ballroom in the vacant Hyatt Hotel.
I'm working in the logistics department with Denise (from our Brooklyn Operation), entering requests for supplies, troops, and personnel and keeping tabs on our available resources for powering the city, feeding the workers, and pumping the water out of the flooded areas.
Yesterday was our first official day working at the EOC. Camp Mimosa sent a crew down to return our rig to baton Rouge and we were left without sleeping quarters or clothing. The city arranged for us to berth on board the USS Iwo Jima for the night, and tonight we may stay there as well, but it is more probable that we'll be staying in a hotel with the rest of the logistics staff.
Staying on board the Iwo Jima was an interesting experience, especially since the Navy had been the only branch of the military that had interested me since I was little. I took some pictures while on board that I will post when I return to New York.
Our new command center in the Hyatt Hotel is amazing, with over 100 computer terminals and staff representing the NOPD, NOFD, US Army, Coast Guard, Navy, the 82nd Airborne, City Utilities and Tranportation, Health Department and more. We are all working together here in the Unified Command to get the City of New Orleans back on it's feet.
I've made many friends with people from around the country including EMS, but also from the Army and several Police Departments. Everyone here is armed to the teeth, so we're pretty safe. There's one sergeant from the National Guard who's going to let me hold his M16 rifle and take a photo. LOL.
I even got offered a job in North Carolina with full paid paramedic classes by the director the EOC.
Well, that's all the update for now, I'll be here in Orleans Parish until at least Monday, so call me on my cell phone.
Doc Out.
Louisiana Update posted @ 10:10 PM :: 
Comments
Post a Comment