Sep 2, 2008

Local Guardsmen head to Gulf

60 deployed to Gustav-hit areas for search and rescue missions

By Christine Morente / Bay Area News Group

Convoys of local rescuers were deployed Monday to aid in search and rescue missions once Hurricane Gustav passes the Gulf Coast.

Before noon, pararescue equipment and 60 Air National Guardsmen from the 129th Rescue Wing flew out of Moffett Federal Air Field in Mountain View. All were bound for Ellington Field in Houston.

Nineteen other men were sent out Sunday.

"They're prepared for anything," said Capt. Alyson Teeter of the National Guard. "If it's bad, they'll be ready to go. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. We'll see what happens."

On Labor Day, Gustav weakened to a Category 1 hurricane, but still brought 90 mph winds.

While nearly 2 million people have evacuated New Orleans and surrounding cities, about 10,000 people stayed behind.

Rich Dixon, a combat rescue officer sent to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina, said teams seem to be more prepared for Gustav.

But all it takes is one levee to break, he said.

"Whether the levees hold will mitigate a lot of the damage," Dixon said. "We're trained for any type of rescue."

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District also deployed 23 members of the California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force Three Monday night.

The team consists of firefighters from the Central County, San Mateo, San Jose, Santa Clara, South San Francisco and Mountain View fire departments; a doctor from San Francisco General Hospital; NASA team members; a San Francisco structural engineer, and dog handlers.

The group is expected to pick up another 22-member team from San Diego before flying to Atlanta.

According to Menlo Park Fire District Chief Harold Schapelhouman, 12 members from the task force left Saturday with 30,000 pounds of equipment bound for Atlanta.

"They'll mobilize on one of the flanks of the hurricane areas," Schapelhouman said. "They'll search those communities and work through those areas (that) need our assistance."

Meanwhile, Hurricane Hanna continues to intensify, and as of Monday was headed for the Georgia coast with 75 mph winds. Forecasters had Hanna arriving in Savannah on Friday.

Schapelhouman said if Gustav isn't as destructive, the task force will move.

He said it's difficult to predict what will happen since the force of the hurricane winds are dropping.

However, his concern is on weather issues related to whether it stalls, and starts, "dumping water" in areas in the gulf.

"That would put towns underwater," Schapelhouman said.



Wire services contributed to the story.