NOLA CG at center of relief effort

Some 2,000 Coast Guard responders are on the ground in Texas and southwest Louisiana helping boat and to fly flood victims to safety. Before they get to those flooded homes, they get marching orders from about 60 members of the Coast Guard 8th District’s command center in downtown New Orleans. The center has helped direct more than 4,500 rescues since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas on Aug. 25. District commander Rear Adm. Paul F. Thomas said the NOLA center started assisting with Houston 911 calls on Aug. 27. The center has also played a key role in ensuring air space safety for 50 CG, military, federal and state aircraft flying around the Houston area. "This has been like a hurricane a day for the past six or seven days," Thomas said. Rescue calls are beginning to wind down from Houston, and the command center has shifted its focus to Port Arthur, Texas, and southwest Louisiana where rescue efforts were ramping up. The next priority for the command center will be getting ports along the Texas coast up and running. (Source: NOLA.com 08/30/17)