Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi on August
29, 2005 causing one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the
United States. Air and Army National Guardsmen from across the country,
along with state and local emergency responders and members of the active
duty armed forces, poured into the Gulf Coast region to participate
in a massive humanitarian relief effort. The entry point for much
of the National Guard’s relief operations in Louisiana was the New
Orleans Naval Air Station located immediately south of the Crescent City
in the suburb of Belle Chasse. Beginning on September 1, 2005, Air National
Guard C-130s and KC-135s airlifted equipment, supplies, food and
military personnel into the airfield and began evacuating sick and injured
civilians. Army National Guard helicopters and fixed wing aircraft
also participated in relief operations from that installation. In
addition to aircrews and planes, Air Guard rescue personnel and equipment
as well as combat controllers, security forces, and civil engineering
personnel deployed to Belle Chasse. They immediately began
conducting rescue operations and building up the base infrastructure
to support the huge influx of troops to the devastated Gulf Coast. Most
of the National Guardsmen who deployed to the region, including those at
the Naval Air Station, remained in state status under the legal control
of their governors which enabled them to provide law enforcement support
in affected areas when required. They deployed in accordance
with Emergency Management Assistance Compacts that had been developed
between many states well before Hurricane Katrina struck. By September
8, 2005, over 51,000 National Guardsmen were helping people
along the Gulf Coast deal with the terrible devastation inflicted on them
by Hurricane Katrina, making this the largest deployment for a domestic
emergency in the history of the National Guard.