Sept: 12 | 16 | 20
Oct: 17 | 21

September 20, 2005

Two days ago after a meeting with the US Maritime Administration, a tour was set up so that I could tour the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.  Words do not describe the destruction that has occurred in New Orleans and especially Saint Bernard’s Parish.  Leaving the port, we passed soldiers stationed under a shed sleeping on cots with only a tin roof protecting them from the elements, I asked our driver if the soldiers were stationed there and he said yes.  Shortly afterwards, we passed the convention center downtown and the stench was horrible in that area.   As we continued driving away from the French Quarter, the water levels were very evident on the buildings, some of the high rise glass buildings had virtually all of their glass blown out on certain sides of the building and we saw cars that had completely flooded over their roofs.

As we drove downtown, crews cleaning up debris and check points manned by the military were throughout New Orleans.  We had a pass in order for the driver to take us through the military check points. After downtown New Orleans, we got on one of the main highways in order to drive to Saint Bernard’s Parish.  We were the only truck on the highway with the exception of the military vehicles on patrol.

As we entered Saint Bernard’s Parish, the catastrophic flooding was evident.  Large tractor trailers were on the sides of the road flipped on their sides along with trains which had been turned over and looked like spaghetti.    Some boats appeared to be the only thing which survived the storm, while other boats had been crushed or were piled on top of one another.

 Boats from a marina littered the sides of the roads and nearby parking lots.  It appeared that an effort was being made to recover boats. Approximately 30 boats were lined up neatly in a straight line alongside the road without the trailers.

 Dried mud covered everything from parking lots to the highways.  The next stop would have been a typical suburban neighborhood in the United States.  However, this was different because no life was present. No one was in the neighborhood except for us and the Sheriff.  Dried mud covered everything.  There was no sign of life at all; the grass and trees were dead.  Even the snakes on the road were dead.  Cars were on the roofs of houses, cars on top of cars, boats were on cars, and the stench was horrible.  The only sign that life had been in the neighborhood  was the spray painted orange marking on the homes by the search and rescue teams to identifying if there were bodies in the homes.  I walked up to one house and looked in the front door. Inside, the stench was worse than outside, there was about one foot of mud inside the house and the drywall on the ceiling was hanging down, furniture had floated all over the inside of the house and the house was a complete loss like all the other homes in the neighborhood. Pictures and words do not come close to describing the catastrophic destruction; the only word that comes to mind is the apocalypse.

As we entered the port, we passed the soldiers again sleeping under the tin roof.  I asked the driver to stop; I got out of our vehicle and introduced myself to the lieutenant in charge.  I told the lieutenant the soldiers were welcome to have hot meals, showers, and have their laundry done aboard the Sirius.  The soldiers were most excited about a shower; they had not had showers for some time.   We departed and headed back to the ship, approximately 15 minutes later after I had boarded the ship, I saw the soldiers coming aboard with their laundry, and towels to take a hot shower.  As I passed the soldiers in the mess, they were very thankful for the hot meals, showers and having their laundry washed.  Each day the ship serves several hundred meals.

The next day, we started housing soldiers in the hanger for 24 hours of R&R.  The soldiers come aboard, get to relax, watch TV, work out in the gym, take hot showers, have their laundry done, and eat hot meals, then in 24 hours the troops are rotated out. For the soldiers out in the fields, the Sirius is an oasis.

I have met many people on the ship from New Orleans and the surrounding parishes that have lost virtually all of their belongings including their homes.  One thing they have not lost is their great spirit and attitude that they will rebuild a bigger and better city, they thank God they and their family are alive, the rest they say can be replaced. 

Captain Sam Stephenson
Master, Sirius