Dedication, Endurance, and Compassion

By Connie Standige, Engineer Administrator
Louisiana District 62

My name is Connie Standige. I am the District 62 Engineer Administrator and was only in that position for 3 1/2 months when Hurricane Katrina hit. District 62 is comprised of 6 parishes on the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain–St. Tammany, Washington, St. John, Tangipahoa, Livingston, and St. Helena. I live on the southshore, in a suburb of New Orleans. This is the District 62 story:

It all started on Friday morning, August 26 when Hurricane Katrina was headed for Appalachicola, Florida. No one was concerned that she was coming this way, besides she was only a Category 1 hurricane. Friday afternoon the storm shifted and was headed this way. Baton Rouge EOC had a conference call Friday evening and told us to prepare for contra-flow for Sunday morning to evacuate the city of New Orleans. The contra-flow crews were to report to their units on Saturday morning at 8:00. Well things changed in a hurry.

Early Saturday morning I received a call from BR saying that the storm had increased in intensity and was headed straight to New Orleans and that we would be starting contra-flow at 4:00pm on Saturday. DOTD employees from many districts and statewide crews worked all morning to have the VMS', barricades, and cones staged next to the highway by noon. Contra-flow began at 4:00pm. The contra-flow teams worked through the night and into the next evening. They then had to retrieve the contra-flow devices in tropical force winds.

The rest is history. Katrina slammed into southeast Louisiana causing much destruction and devastation. Many District 62 employees worked during the storm, and as soon as the winds subsided on Monday afternoon, many of our dedicated employees came out with chain saws in hand. They had to cut their way to the state highways, and then cut their way to their units. The next few weeks were a whirlwind of activities. Power was out in all parishes in the district. Food, water, ice, and fuel were nowhere to be found. Every road in the district was covered with downed trees and debris. District 62 employees came out in droves to work. These employees worked from sunrise to sunset in the blistering heat.

Many of these employees had damage to their own homes, some with total losses, yet they still showed up every day to work. On Tuesday evening teams of workers from other districts from throughout the state showed up to help. They arrived in convoys with personnel, equipment, fuel, ice, water, and food. Since there were no hotel rooms available, approximately 100 employees bunked up in offices throughout the district. Words cannot express our gratitude to these other districts for all of their support. So many districts made offers to send people that I had to turn some of the help down because we had no more room to house them.

Together, with their help and the hard work of the District 62 employees, within 5 days, all roads in the district were cleared and road wash outs were repaired. Then the cleanup of debris on the roadside and the repair of bridges began. Repair crews, cleanup crews, inspectors, and dump site monitors have worked and are still working 12 and 14 hour days. During the weeks after Katrina I saw dedication, enthusiasm, endurance, organization, compassion, and kindness.

When there was no place to buy food, the employees in this district emptied their freezers and cooked that food for the workers. They traveled outside of the district to get food and supplies; they waited in long lines at Sam's and Walmart; they made deals with food distributors; some came in at 4:00am to cook breakfast, make and distribute lunches, and prepare and cook the evening dinner meal; and others stayed late to clean up afterwards. More than 300 employees were fed at each meal during the days following Katrina's hit. There were charts posted, schedules made, and assignments given. Makeshift showers were installed in the Lab. Cots were placed in every corner of the building. Very little sleep was had by all.

I encountered so many acts of kindness during this tragedy. When I was unable to return to my own home because of evacuation orders and flooding of my house, employees offered their homes to me and my family. They provided us with food and clothing. They welcomed us with great hospitality.

During this time there was a lot of sadness, anxiety, and depression. Emotions ran high. Together we cried, we shouted, we hoped, and we prayed. This district pulled together as a team. I have had people from other districts comment on the incredible teamwork exhibited by District 62. Together we were able to overcome the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

AND THEN CAME RITA!

But then Hurricane Rita set its sights on Louisiana. Several days before Rita made her landfall one of our employees, Brett Pounds, asked if we were going to help Southwest Louisiana like they had helped us. There was no doubt that we would help. District 62's "Team Rita" pulled together. Roland Maurin, District Maintenance Engineer, along with Brett, assembled a team of volunteer employees. They gathered supplies; they constructed huge insulated ice containers; and they loaded equipment. They were self-sufficient and only needed a place to bed down. Before they left for Lake Charles, these employees prayed together. They mounted American flags on their trucks. They left the Hammond yard on Sunday morning with a convoy of people, equipment, port-a-potties, ice, food, fuel, generators, tools, and supplies. Other trips were made to Lake Charles to deliver more fuel, ice, and food. Employees contributed money to purchase cookies and other treats to send to the workers in Lake Charles. These employees were truly generous in their offers of help.

I truly have to say from the bottom of my heart that I am proud to be a part of District 62. During the weeks after Katrina and Rita hit I saw a group of hard working, dedicated employees that are all unsung heroes and truly deserve recognition for their hard work.