From KHOU in Houston:

As the storm raged, Reed—along with his friends, Larry and Crystal White—were praying the church would be just high enough to keep them from drowning in the massive storm surge.

If they could keep their heads above water, then all they would have to worry about were the hours of pounding rain and winds – and getting cozy with the king of the jungle.

“This guy had his cat in a cage in the back of his truck and he wouldn’t leave it,” said Reed.

As the storm got worse, the big cat’s owner opened the cage and brought his lion inside.

“It was no big deal; he is real good with big cats. Been raising them a long time,” said Reed.

For residents unable or unwilling to relocate in the face of Hurricane Ike, rising water and damaged roads made leaving home after the fact nearly impossible, save for the fearless men and women working through various relief agencies, including Texas Task Force- One, Federal Emergency Management Administration, and the Department of Public Safety.

In order to help stranded residents, “helispots,” or temporary helicopter landing zones, like school parking lots, have been set up in cities around the Gulf coast, according to Kenneth Larson, the Texas City helispot “on the spot” manager from TXTF-1.

In Texas City, to ensure pilots and ground crews can communicate clearly, Air Force Combat Controllers from the 125th Special Tactics Squadron, from Portland, Oregon, are on the ground directing the landing aircraft.

“We open up [helicopter landing zones] and run them for anybody,” said Technical Sgt. Guadagnuolo Stefano, with the 125th STS. “Army, Navy, Coast Guard, civilian, it doesn’t matter, that’s our entire job. We bring them in and get them safely out.”

Stranded residents from up and down the coast, along with companion animals, have been brought to Texas City, to board busses en route to KellyUSA in San Antonio.

During the run-up to Hurricane Ike, Texas emergency management agencies ramped up the number of emergency responders on call in the Gulf Coast area. Up to 10 states have been brought in to coordinate with TXTF-1, and FEMA through both federal response and state-to-state requests.

Along with air crews, there are urban search and rescue teams, as well as swift water rescue crews operating with federal agencies.

“This is just one of many operational pieces,” said Larson. “Everyone is working together to help out.”

DVIDS
By Sgt. Jennifer D. Atkinson
100th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment