STOP BURNING YOUR HOUSES!
That's what St. Bernard Parish Deputy Fire Chief Armand Buuck has been telling residents in his hurricane-ravaged community.
After learning that their flood insurance would not pay for repairs, many people started setting their houses on fire. "It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the fire was set when you pulled up to see dark smoke coming out of a garage, and another fire burning in the opposite side of the house."
Buuck said the fires were putting his firefighters and residents at risk. "We sent out releases telling people not to burn their houses down because they weren't gong to collect any insurance. The companies weren't paying."
All 10 parish fire stations were destroyed by Katrina, and apparatus is now being stored in several bare buildings throughout the parish. FEMA has replaced the two quints and 3,500 gallon tanker, and another six pumpers are being built.
Responding to fires in FEMA trailer parks also proved challenging until the government bought them a mini-pumper that carries 250 gallons of water. It is mounted on a Ford 550 chassis. "We're doing as well as can be expected. There's still so much to do down here. We were the only jurisdiction where every single house got water. Of the 23,000 houses, 3,000 need to be demolished."
If the parish manages to dodge future storms, it will take two to three years to rebuild it to pre-Katrina conditions. "Our levies didn't fail. The water went over top of the 15-foot walls."
The new levies, made of red mud clay, have replaced the mud and sand barriers. They are now 20 feet high and 400 feet wide at the base, twice the original size.
Firefighters from around the country have come down from time to time to help clean debris and work on building projects. Buuck said more help is needed, and promises to house anyone who shows up to help.
In Mississippi, fire officials are working to insure things go better next time an uninvited, unwelcome visitor comes calling. There will be an official mutual aid pact in place soon.
Officers attending the Mississippi Firefighters Association conference the past few days have hammered out a mutual aid plan similar to one in Florida. "This will make sure we get help in hours, not days,"said Richard Bryant, president.
As soon as firefighters in northern Mississippi learned of the situation in coastal areas last September, they mobilized people, equipment and supplies. But, they were told to wait for an official FEMA mission number. Without the number, they may not have been able to get federal reimbursement. It's the red tape that firefighters say they don't want to have to wade through again.
Under the mutual aid plan, manpower and equipment will be able to respond at once to a call for help, Bryant said, adding that crews from as far away as California, Ohio and Connecticut also were delayed for the same reason.
When volunteers from Vermont decided they wanted to pitch in to help out fellow firefighters, they found it frustrating. Although they were ready to head down within a week of Katrina, they didn'thave a contact and didn't know where to go.
"It took us nearly two months to get in touch with someone to find out what they needed us to do," said Stowe Vol. Fire Co. First Assistant Chief Mark Sgantas. "We were spinning our wheels..."
The chief called the first person on the list, George Mixon, and that triggered the beginning of a strong relationship between northern and southern firefighters. Stowe volunteers will be headed back to Harrison County in a few weeks for a third time.
They'll be helping to rebuild homes and the Delisle fire station that was destroyed by Katrina. "We've made a commitment to Harrison County for a year, and we'll keep going down to lend a hand as long as they need us," Sgantas said.
The volunteers have forged friendships, and stay in touch with one another. "It's been a great experience for all of us," Sgantas said, adding that he and his Vermont crew have been made honorary life members. "It's been overwhelming. There's a common bond, a brotherhood."
The northern town also has embraced the project, and residents have pitched in to help the firefighters with expenses and other items they feel the hurricane victims may be able to use.
With a laugh, Mixon agrees with Sgantas' summation: "We've drawn very close. We're thinking about an exchange program where some of the guys here can go up there. They want to see snow, whatever that is."
Mixon, the Harrison County fire marshal, said he is hoping to have the Delisle fire station open by August. He said frustration doesn't come close to how he feels about working with FEMA, which he said still operates at a snail's pace. "We're taking care of ourselves down here, and we're getting stronger doing it. We're re-building together."
One community in his county, Henderson Point, was completely wiped out. "There's nothing there. It's gone off the face of the earth."
