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Responding to the catastrophe in Louisiana
by Walt Roberts
Able Security Service & Investigations, Inc.
When watching the television coverage of Hurricane Katrina on the 30th of August in 2005 I never envisioned the response that would be needed from my company and other Texas Security Companies. The very next day I received a call from the Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans needing our help. They needed a rapid response team of 15 armed, highly skilled, security professionals to augment the force at their location in New Orleans. They explained that they had called other companies who were unable to provide this level of service. The last company called, told the Army Contracting Officer to call Able Security & Investigations, Inc.
When the Army representative called I asked how soon we were needed, she ask how soon could we be there? Their people were being shot at and there was a fear of looters over running the Corps compound. I told her that I would have her facility staffed within 16 hours, due to the unavailability of commercial flights.
My staff went into emergency mode and within hours of the call we were on the road with 15 armed security professionals, enough food and water for 5 days and 500 gallons of fuel.
Suspicious of the condition of I-10, we didn�t travel the normal route; we drove to I-55 in Mississippi and traveled south. The last open gas station was outside of Vicksburg, Mississippi. We needed to use the gasoline we were carrying to refuel our vehicles 40 miles from New Orleans. In Hammond we could see the beginning of Katrina�s devastation. Between Hammond and our exit at Causeway Blvd. and I-10 in New Orleans, we encountered five police road blocks. The first was the Louisiana State Police (who were very helpful) as were other local departments in different Parishes along the way. The guy who made the largest impression on me was the New Orleans Police Officer at Causeway and I-10. He insisted on taking all of our names, he stated �we cannot guarantee your safety and we need names for identification�. Upon passing us thru the check point, he assured us that we would see armed people walking the streets in the area we were responding to. He was right, we encountered four groups of about 4-6 men, all carrying weapons and some attempted to approach our vehicles. Upon arrival at
2 A.M. on September 1, 2005 we were welcomed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Some of my people were assigned escort duty as soon as they arrived. The next morning was an eye opener. I have traveled in the third world for 20 years and never have I seen the devastation I witnessed in New Orleans that morning. Staffed and up and running, I headed back to Dallas to head up this logistic challenge. During my drive to Dallas I began receiving calls from others needing our help. In total, I was asked to assign another 80 people in New Orleans. I explained, I could, but it would take 48 hours due to me being on the road. I called my Dallas staff and told them to get on the phones.
Fortunately, we are experienced in working �High Profile� locations worldwide for the State Department and large corporations. Able maintains a data base of Law Enforcement and former Military Security Professionals. These individuals can endure primitive living conditions, make good decisions in life and death situations and understand the mission. For the next several days we deployed roughly 140 people to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area for security details caused by Katrina and later Rita. Able had Security Professionals assigned from Lake Charles to New Orleans working and living in primitive conditions. We currently have approximately 60 officers in Louisiana, with some long term contracts.
Able Security & Investigations was not the only company responding from Texas. Never let it be said that Texans cannot handle disasters, we have proven our metal over and over. For more information on disaster response and Texas Companies that provide this service you can go to www.assisttexas.org and click on the emergencies/disaster security
link.
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