Wilma Weakens Key West, Strengthens Coast Guard Teams
By PA2 Tasha Tully, PADET St.Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- When Wilma hit Key West,
Calm in the storm Petty Officer 2nd Class Sean Polk lost everything he owned when Hurricane Wilma sunk his 30-foot sailboat, Southern Swells, at its Key West Marina, Fla., moorings. Polk was on the stay-behind crew at Sector Key West’s command center and had been living aboard his boat for about seven months. He was on duty when he found out that his boat sank. “All I was able to salvage was four pairs of clean underwear, a few pairs of jeans, two t-shirts and a few uniforms. But it could have been worse, the underwear could have been dirty,” joked Polk. “Basically all I had left was what was in my locker at work.” Polk said that his shipmates were the first to offer him assistance. He has been staying with his chief and will be moving into an apartment soon. “I am prior Marine Corps and their thing is all about brotherhood,” said Polk. “But let me tell you, I’ve never seen an organization respond top to bottom the way the Coast Guard has. I am very impressed with the camaraderie. And, we’ll see, it might be cool to have your house stay in the same place.” |
Several days before Wilma hit, Sector Key West ordered a mandatory evacuation and the eight-person Hurricane Evacuation Assist Team (HEAT) was ready and waiting at the Studio City Sheraton Hotel in
Orlando, Fla., to help evacuating Sector Key West personnel and their families. Comprised of five members from Integrated Support Command (ISC) Miami and several others from the storm-affected area, HEAT provides support to Coast Guard evacuees and their families during hurricane evacuations. “We [HEAT] try to set people up with the point of contact at their unit and make sure everyone has somewhere to go,” said Chief Warrant Officer Tamera Wells, ISC Miami Personnel Branch Chief and HEAT Leader. “We had people in
Orlando for 11 days and cut more than 600 sets of orders.” Hurricane Assist Team (HAT)
Miami, designed to provide support after a hurricane strikes, was ready to assist Coast Guard members when they returned to Key West from Orlando. HAT Miami helped organize relief efforts for the many families affected by Hurricane Wilma. More than $20,000 in Mutual Assistance loans were provided to Key West Coast Guard personnel and more than $120,000 in cash from District Seven evacuation funds was paid out on site in personal property claims. “The HEAT and HAT teams provided much needed organization amid the chaos,” said Ens. Mike Bell, assistant contingency planning officer at Sector Key West. “They helped by giving people a starting point and a clearer focus of the situation.”
Bell and 92 other Coast Guard members were displaced when Wilma hit housing at Naval Air Station Boca Chica, Fla., just north of Key West.
“Housing officers were very quick to get us into guest quarters until our house could be repaired,” said
Bell. “About 95 percent of our furniture is gone and everything else is in storage.”
HAT Miami is usually made up of a dozen members from various District Seven commands and Maintenance Logistics Command Atlantic,
“The Tiger Team was invaluable to many displaced families,” said Jeanne Koontz, area housing officer for ISC Miami and HAT Leader. “They helped get waterlogged mattresses, furniture and carpet out of houses, in addition to cleaning up all around and within Sector Key West. It was hard work.”
In addition to HAT
“I am overwhelmed by the Coast Guard’s ability, and the ability of our shipmates to assist us in our time of need,” said Capt. Phillip Heyl, commanding officer of Sector Key West. “The Chief’s Mess has helped displaced families by giving them grants, the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance program has given help to families without insurance and HAT
RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO SECTOR |
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