March 29, 2009 - Fargo, ND Flood

It amazing that during a time when our country is so unstable and many are nervous about the economic climate, Americans still come to the aid of others in need. Even people who have already lost their homes are helping others save theirs.

We have been on standby with the hovercraft rescue boat at the sheriff’s office for a few days now. If there is a significant breach in the levees we will be there to bring people to safety. The sandbagging operation looks like it is working and though the river crested higher than ever-recorded history, it is expected to crest lower than predicted. This is good news for the city. Nevertheless, the river will stay at this level for 3-7 days. Will the manmade levees hold? That is the big question. If they breach, many homes will be under water.

The winds are expected to pick up, which can cause waves that will crash against the levees.

I’m hopeful though! Thousands of people have come together over the past few days, making over 5 million sand bags and building levees that stretch for miles.

It has been tremendous and the good people of Fargo and its volunteers will not give up. The levees are crawling with people looking for the first sign of breaches, ready to defend their homes.

As soon as the waters drop to a safe level we will be heading out, and I think things are looking favorable.

March 26, 2009 - Fargo, ND Floods

Just about six hours before we reached Fargo, I called EOC (Emergency Operations Center) and they explained they were in need of a hovercraft. Though the manmade dikes were holding well, a few people needed to be evacuated in low lying areas and the airboats were experiencing some challenges getting into some areas.

We arrived at 5:50 am to the area they told us to report to – which was a jail – only to find out they decided to evacuate the area due to rising waters. We got diverted over to the sheriff’s office and then on to the public works department where the airboats were congregated.

The First Response Team introduced themselves to the water rescue team of Fargo. We showed them the hovercraft, explained to them what it could do and that we will be available to assist them in any way they may need. They expressed their thanks and asked us to wait with them and be on standby throughout the day…which we were more than willing to do.

The mood was tense because the waters were going to rise higher than they had ever been before. The mayor got on the airways saying, “The river is expected to behave in ways never before observed.” The National Weather Service made some startling announcements about the river and how unpredictable the next few days were going to be.

Though no levees were breaking, I understood the importance of standing by the next few days in case we were needed to evacuate people. Right now the focus should be getting the levy built and then getting everyone to safety.

March 25, 2009 - Fargo, ND Flood

Reports started coming in about the threat of epic floods in Fargo, ND. News stations reported about the great flood of 1897 when the river rose to 40.1 feet. Now, in 2009, the river was predicted to reach a devastating level of 42-43 feet.

That’s not all…Fargo had experienced one of the worse winters in years. Without boring the average person with a detailed weather report, the bottom line is lots of snow and soaked land means the water can go nowhere except stay on top of the ground and drain to the river. To add insult to injury, it’s freezing – not your average flood they usually see in the spring and summer. Freezing water means anyone who gets caught up in the flood waters will be subject to hypothermia.

Sand bagging operations are beginning. I’m hopeful the manmade dikes will hold back the river but if not, they are going to need a hovercraft. There are 100,000 people living in Fargo and just from experience I can tell you not everybody evacuates when they should. If those levees breach they will need our help. We’re headed out now. Looks like a 26-hour trip so we’ll alternate drivers in order to get there quickly. I think it would be a good idea to stop at the hovercraft dealer near Chicago as well. It’s time to upgrade the computer system on the hovercraft so the engine can adapt to temperatures below zero.

June 21, 2008 - Clarksville, MO Flood

We quickly heard of the troubles Clarksville, MO, was having holding back the river. The roads to Clarksville were winding and narrow, which proved challenging as we navigated our fleet of over a million dollars of equipment down to this little river town. The only way into town was through this extremely steep and narrow road. When we arrived, a local emergency official greeted us and immediately put us to work.

The town’s sandbagging operation consisted of volunteers making bags and loading trucks, which at times took hours. Seth and Rob quickly got the two cranes ready and positioned to load the piles of sand bags volunteers had made the previous days. The National Guards was there equipped with dump trucks. We loaded their trucks one after the other, only taking about five minutes per truck. This sped up the building of the levees because the sand bags were now getting to the river much quicker.

We were also asked to escort the National Guard engineers to buildings facing danger on the Mississippi River using our hovercraft. Levees needed to be inspected from the river side, and measurements needed to be taken to find out whether the river was rising or falling – and whether the worst was ahead or behind us. The water was filled with debris such as trees and railroad tracks that were barely sticking out from the water. Two by two I ferried the military as well as local emergency officials to where they needed to go on the unpredictable river.

The area along this part of the river has very large hills. They seemed to be blocking our cell phone service so we had to use our satellite phone system. The team was able to keep in contact since we were basically spread all throughout the town.

People magazine showed up to do an article on me. It was a bit odd to stand there in this disaster area and take photos for a magazine. I hope it helps bring exposure to the First Response Team, and people will start supporting us.

We are going to stay here for a few days to help with sandbagging, pumping water, and providing communication – as well as being prepared to help out with water rescues if needed.

June 20, 2008 - Clarksville, MO Flood

We finished up in Burlington and as we were loading the CATs and water pumps I began to make plans to follow the river south and see if other communities about to be flooded needed our help. The reports were coming in from down south that small country towns were bracing for the destructive floodwaters. This river that was sucking full homes into its waters just north of us was proving to be a force to be reckoned with.

But the decision of which town we would respond to next was just about to be made for me. My cell phone rang and the person on the other end of the line asked, “Is this Tad Agoglia?” I said yes. He went on to explain that he was calling from Missouri’s emergency operation center in the state capital. They heard we had a hovercraft and needed us to respond to a distress call where more than 70 volunteers were cut off from help by the Mississippi River in a sand bagging operation south of the city of Clarksville. I explained we were only about two hours away and could leave immediately. When I asked how he got my cell phone number he said, “Aren’t you the guy who came to Ava, MO, to power up our nursing home?”

The team was already tired from our non-stop travels from Picher, OK, Parkersburg, IA, Middletown, IN, Oakville, IA, Burlington, IA and now south to Clarksville…but we knew we had to respond.

The trip south was a bit tense. Time was of the essence, and we had to get there as soon as possible – but due to the size of our rigs and the winding roads we had to take our time and be safe. The roads were small, winding, and hilly in eastern Missouri. One false move and we would have drifted off these narrow roads. We would have defeated our purpose if we hurt someone else in the process of helping others.



By the time we arrived, we discovered that it was a false alarm. I called the capital to alert them, and we realized someone had their information wrong. As far as I was concerned, it was good news. At this point, the Mississippi was raging and had shown no mercy for the many cities left in the wake of its destruction. I then heard about a community just a few miles north that was in need of a hovercraft to help monitor levees and check the river levels. We left within the hour for Clarksville, MO.

June 18, 2008 - Burlington, IA Flood

We were just finishing up in Oakville and decided to head out of town, get a decent hotel, and get some laundry done. The team was tired and was looking forward to enjoying a good meal and some rest. Rob went out to do some shopping in the nearest city, which was Burlington. Within an hour my phone rang – it was Rob explaining that there was a building right on the Mississippi River that was underwater, and it looked like they could really use our help. I jumped in my truck and headed down to Burlington.

Within a few minutes of my arrival I met Pete Wilson, the factory manager of LaMont Limited. He explained that the water pump, which was almost 40 years old, caught on fire and the basement of this huge factory has subsequently filled with water, just one inch away from the majority of the inventory on the first floor.

I called the rest of the team to get all the equipment to downtown Burlington and within an hour we had our 1800 gallon-per-minute water pump removing the water from the basement.

But that would not completely solve the problem. The LaMont Limited building was under water – the Mississippi River was surrounding the building with water 3-4 feet high. We could pump the water out of the basement but it would just fill back up as soon as we pumped it out. Our only choice was to sand bag around the building…but can you sand bag a building that is already under water? There was only one way to find ouy: Let’s sand bag it.

It would take a small army to walk sand bags through the water one by one and build this wall to hold back the river. The $310,000 trucks were too expensive to risk putting in the deep water and the only piece of equipment that could drive through 3-4 feet of water with sand bags was our CAT skid steers. I decided to take a chance and send one in with the other one on standby with cables and chains in case the first skid steer stalled from the deep waters.

For the next 10 hours, the First Response Team worked tirelessly with some of the factory workers. While the water pump was pumping, we were building this wall in the hopes that it would work. By 10 pm the wall was built, and we were soaking wet. The water pump was still working and by 6 am the next morning the basement was empty.

Guess what? It worked. The wall was built around the factory and no more water was flooding into the basement. I never thought you could sand bag a wall around a building that was already under water and then pump the building dry but we did it anyway and we saved the inventory of the largest factory in Burlington, IA.

As we were finishing up that morning, I kept my eye on the weather reports. I heard of many communities that were nervous about the raging waters headed south. I knew many of them would not have the budgets nor equipment to help themselves, similar to the situation in Oakville. We loaded the equipment and said goodbye. I was going to make some calls and do some more research about communities along the river when my cell phone suddenly rang.

June 15, 2008 - Oakville, IA Flood

It was a good fight but we didn’t win. Even though everybody in the town and from nearby cities came to help, we lost this one. There was a breach today, and it was impossible to stop. We tried but just could not hold back the water. Within a few short hours the city of Oakville, IA, was completely flooded, including approximately 18,000 acres of surrounding farmland.

When we started this fight I was not sure if we would really hold back the river. Further north the river was overtaking cities that had more resources than Oakville. But what if we did not give it our best? What would that say about the community? What would that say to future generations about giving it your best shot…to always try and never give up?

I’m glad we came to Oakville. It was worth it to be a part of this effort and to experience the passion, drive, and dedication of a small town. This town joined together to help neighbors and strangers alike, expecting nothing in return, fighting for the existence of their community. I have no doubt in my mind that Oakville will not look back. They will rebuild those levees better than ever before, they will rebuild their town, and will continue to be the heart and soul of America.

June 14, 2008 - Oakville, IA Flood

The sand bagging operation was going well but more four wheelers were coming in from nearby towns to help build the levy. By now Tim and Seth had arrived from Middleton with the other grapple truck. Since the grapple truck has a 60-cubic yard dump trailer able to hold and dump 80,000 pounds, we decided to use it to carry thousands of sand bags from the bagging operation to the levy. Since only one man is needed to run the grapple truck, the Team was able to move enough sand bags to keep another 100 four wheelers working.

Things were going well, and the spirits of the community were high. We were making progress, and the levy was going up just in time. Every once in a while I would stop and look around me at the people working together to help save each other’s homes. From early morning until late at night no one stopped working.

The water was getting higher. I recommended to the community leaders to move the sand bagging operation farther outside of town. I did not like that so many young kids were making sandbags in an area that would be difficult to evacuate should the levy break. I did not want to be the one sending a bad vibe but none of this would be worth it if people got hurt. People are more important than property.

The leaders agreed, and we began to move sand, bags and equipment outside of town. We set up the new sand bagging operation in a local church parking lot. In the meantime, Tim was out on the dirt bike with the Sat Phone, GPS, and GMRS radios monitoring the levy. It was his job to alert the Team and the community if there was any sign of the levy breaching. This would either give us time to fix it or to get everyone evacuated.

June 13, 2008 - Oakville, IA Flood

While finishing up in Middletown, IN, I received a call from a farmer by the name of Todd Maser. I met Todd while helping out in Parkersburg, IA. He asked if the team could help in the town where he lived. Oakville is a small town in southern IA, and it was being threatened by floodwaters from the swollen Mississippi river. The river was rising, and everyone had joined forces to build a seven mile levy, four feet high around their city…but they needed equipment. All they had were farm trucks, a tractor, and a lot of four wheelers.

There was still work to do in Middletown so I decided to split the team up. Seth and Tim would stay in Indiana, and Rob and I would head to Iowa. I left immediately and upon our arrival I saw something I had never seen before – a community of young and old working together to save their city. I immediately knew the situation was serious, and we only had a few days to get this levy built. I called Seth and Tim and told them to finish up in Indiana and get to Oakville as soon as possible.

Oakville had two dump trucks, one John Deere tractor, a few hundred people, and probably 250 four wheelers: basically just manpower and four wheelers. I decided to speed up the sand bagging operation by having the baggers throw the finished sand bags into the skid steer bucket, instead of on the ground. The skid steer would them bring them to where our crane was parked. By making one huge pile of sand bags, we could then load the bags into dump trucks with the crane. Since our crane has such a large hydraulic head, it was able to pick up 30-40 sandbags at a time and loaded the dump trucks within minutes instead of hours. We kept the dump trucks moving from the sand bagging operation to the levy. Now, instead of the four wheelers driving all the way from the sand bagging operation to the levy, we could deliver the sand bags directly to the base of the levy so the four wheelers could be put to better use in building the levy.

June 11, 2008 - Middletown, IN Flood

We quickly heard about Middletown, IN. It was a unique situation because not only did the town get hit with the flood, but just a few days earlier it got hit by a tornado. Almost every roof in the town was ripped off and when the water came it simply destroyed everything. Now this is one of the smallest towns I have ever been in. The corner country store that used to be there looks like it’s closed. But the people who live here seem very kind.

Because we work directly with and under the local government and emergency officials, I don’t often get a chance to personally meet with homeowners. But this small town was different; I was able to meet each person who lived in those homes.

Over the next few days we will clean up this whole town. It’s not big and won’t be too much work, but for some reason this place is special. It’s so small and out of the way, I’m not sure who would come to help these people.

June 10, 2008 - Indiana Floods

Flash floods began to hit all over Indiana without much notice. Main highways were washing out, and we knew help would be needed. We said our goodbyes in Parkersburg and arrived in Indiana early this morning. We visited a few communities that were hit the worst. One of them kicked us out. The emergency official said to me, “This ain’t my first rodeo, son. I know guys like you – you offer your help and in the end slip me a big bill”. This is the second time this has happened to me where people just can’t believe all the equipment is here for free. But I did not have time to allow my feelings to be hurt. So many communities are devastated in this area, and they need our help. I tipped my hat and wished him the best and turned and walked out of his office. When the men and I were getting in our trucks people were crying and asking, “Where are you going?” I had no choice but to explain that the local authorities did not want our help. It was hard for me to drive out of that city. There was a nursing home that needed power and many washed out roads that needed to be filled. We could have done so much there but I will always respect the leadership in charge. It is their city, not mine.

April 28, 2008 - Des Arc, AR Floods

Our first task in Des Arc was to clean up a few neighborhoods of mobile homes along the river. The floodwaters at this point have receded by 60 percent. The roads were open just enough for us to get in with the equipment. Because the flood levels stayed up for so long everything in these homes was extremely heavy, stinky and molded. Many of the citizens could not even get things like couches out of their houses because they were so heavy. We helped in any way we could and found the people to be very thankful. They would say things like, “We have no clue what we would have done if you had not come. Our belongings would have stayed here for months in all these homes.”

We are going to be here for a few days. There are many homes and neighborhoods to help out in. The water came in so far in some areas it’s unbelievable. There is a judge in this small town, and it sounds as if he’s regarded as an unofficial mayor. He owns the nicest restaurant around, which is on a riverboat. He treated the Team and I to dinner, and we had a great time eating and talking with the local government and emergency leaders as well as many people from the community.

April 27, 2008 - Des Arc, AR Floods

Des Arc, AR, is only 4 hours south of Norfork. This city was our first stop with the rescue boat when the floods began four weeks ago. But for some reason the floodwaters at Des Arc did not recede much; the area is low so the water stays stagnant. When the rivers rose a second time, it only brought the water higher. Today, floodwaters finally began to recede.

We arrived very late tonight and were greeted by Sandra Patterson, County Emergency Operator Center Director. She was so thankful we were there to help their community. Small towns have small budgets and not much equipment in the municipality except two trucks and some small road repair equipment.

There were no hotels within 40 miles so Sandra offered us an old hunting cabin to stay in. It turns out it was where she and her husband were staying as well. Tim, Seth, Dave and I crashed in a room full of bunk beds. I’m having a hard time sleeping tonight because there are so many reports of potential tornados. We will finish what we came here to do but I always want to be aware of potential large deadly tornados happening elsewhere.

April 25, 2008 - Norfork, AR Floods

We have decided to head back to Norfork, AR. It’s been only two weeks since we finished cleaning up flood debris from almost 100 homes in Norfork, and now, two short weeks later, those homes flooded again – but this time the flooding was worse than before. Reports indicate the water rose two feet higher, causing even more damage.

Before we left two weeks ago, the First Response Team and Norfork Fire Department went out to dinner. We bonded quickly while working together to help the people in the community, so when Norfork flooded again there was no question in our mind that we should return to help.

It was strange to go back and see many of the same faces and houses again. But this time instead of removing wet rugs, furniture and personal belongings, it was new sheetrock insulation and furniture destroyed by the floods. It was sad to see the progress made in the two previous weeks destroyed. I can’t imagine the disappointment these people must be facing, and I hope us coming back to clean up the same mess again will encourage them to not give up.

April 5, 2008 - Norfork, AR Floods

This morning we met with the fire chief at the firehouse at 4:45 a.m. There were no incoming phone calls from the 911 Coordinator or the Army Corp, so by 9:00 a.m. we made a few phone calls and confirmed that the high alert threat was over. The threat of potential flood waters hitting the community for a second time was over. This was a huge relief considering that this small community was severely damaged just two weeks earlier.

At this point many of the citizens were visiting the firehouse, curiously intrigued by this great big black grapple truck and hovercraft in front of the firehouse – an odd sight to see in this small rural town. Once the citizens of Norfork heard that we were here to help remove all the furniture, sheetrock, and various debris from their houses, they were so happy. We got to work immediately and within two days we were able to clean up all 80 homes. Even I was surprised at how fast we were able to clean up these neighborhoods. Baxter County sent out 14 local dump trucks that Tim was able to load. One after the other, Tim loaded each truck only taking a few minutes each.

It didn’t take long to grow close to this community. So many people came out and talked with us and the local heroes—their firemen. I was so moved by the fire department in Norfork. It was clearly evident by their actions how much they cared about their citizens. They had already worked tirelessly for weeks after the first flood, removing damaged household goods and sheetrock, and piling it by the roadside. They had also pumped 97,000 gallons of water through the houses, washing the mud out by hand.

Disaster Recovery Solutions’ First Response Team then came to do a job that needed special equipment that this county lacked. Debris had begun to smell so bad through the neighborhoods it was becoming a health hazard and many wells began to test positive for e coli.

Exhausted by the enormity of the work we collectively completed, we all went out for a big steak dinner Saturday night. To express his sincere gratitude, one of the homeowners whose houses we cleaned up gave $1,000 dollars for the first responders to eat out. As Tim and I stood in the parking lot that night, and it was time to say goodbye to the fire chief and his team of heroes, we began to realize how quickly we’d grown to be part of this family. I never thought hugs would be in order with this group, but they clearly were. I never imagined that a bond of brotherhood could develop in such a short period of time and that we could develop such a close bond with new friends. But then again, not much surprises me anymore.

I’m glad we were able to help Norfork AR. I’m hopeful that we will all meet again someday. I’m thankful for our new friends.

April 4, 2008 - Norfork, AR Floods

So here I sit, on this wood floor, in an old ballroom in the hills of Arkansas. The only place for me to spend a few hours and get out of the rain is this community center in a small town called Norfork. This cold room looks just like one in an old black and white movie where a small town would gather on a Friday night for a community dance…just one big room with a wooden floor, two bathrooms and a make shift kitchen. We came to this small city to do something so simple: remove everything from one hundred homes destroyed by the floods two weeks ago. It’s become a routine and simple task for us to remove rugs, furniture, cars, and mud. It would just take a few days with aggressive equipment, where it would take this small city a month with its resources.

But today there was more to do than just clean up debris, which is what we came here to do. We had to work with the local fire department to warn of potential flooding in the community again.

You will often find in disasters that the person in charge is the one who picks up the responsibility. It does not matter if there is a mayor, police chief, sheriff or fire chief, when these storms come in and destroy homes, even the person who is suppose to be in charge gets shocked to see the only place he has ever called home destroyed – as well as his own family and friends killed.

In this case the man in charge was Fire Chief Frankie Baker. From my first impression Frankie is a simple man, humble and reserved, but when the pressure is on, Chief Baker knows how to call the shots. It is easy to see how his volunteers trust him and why they would follow him into a burning home.

Frankie’s task at hand is great. I was introduced to him because he is the one in charge of the cleanup of the flood disaster debris. After touring the community, I sat with him and his crew in the firehouse presenting and explaining the best plan of action for a complete cleanup of debris, lifting the spirits of all as cleanup begins.

As we laid out the strategic plan, 911 Director Tom Fisher, who is second in command to the county judge, walks into the room. The mood changed rapidly as he began to outline new weather-related developments. Just north of the small city are two dams. Norfork Dam is holding back 500 miles of shore, and Bulscholds Dam holds back another 800 miles of shore. Tom explained, “The water is at the floodgates, gentlemen. We are expected to get 4-6 inches of rain in the next two days but if we just get two of those inches the dams will not be able to withstand the pressure, and the floodgates will need to be let open. Norfork will experience flooding worse than what just came through. The Army Corp of Engineers will alert us when two inches of water comes and will only be able to provide our city one hour to evacuate. After that…it will be too late.”

We all agreed the best thing to do was to go to all the communities along the river and inform them of what is expected. Tim, Chief Baker and I jumped in an ambulance and announced like a broken record to one house after the other, “Gather your belongings, jewelry, titles, valuables…get them in your car and evacuate if you want to play it safe. If the rain comes, Norfork could get flooded again and all the homes along the river could be affected.” We also explained that if the Corp opens the floodgates people in their homes along the river would only have one hour to evacuate.

The first few houses went okay. One gentleman who was so old and fragile said, “Can you help me get some of my things to higher ground? I’m too weak to get outside. It’s so cold, and I’m not well.” We helped him with whatever he needed. When the fire chief and I got to the fourth house we were invited into the hallway—the wallpaper straight from the 1970’s—and while standing in the dim light, we warned the occupant of the potential flooding that may happen again. For a split second I wondered what it would be like to have a place I called home for 45 years, and the thought of all I had and had ever held close potentially being destroyed. I could only imagine, and then my mind got caught up again in the job at hand.

The chief explained that many of the roads were washed out and said the only way to warn some of these people was via the river and a loud bull horn. We told Frankie this was his community, his people, and whatever he needed us to do we would do.

All of my equipment is here in Norfork. Fire Chief Baker, and his men and women, are glad we are here to help. If the warning turns into reality we will deploy our hovercraft into the river to warn all the adjacent homes that the final evacuation must take place. Since there will only be one final hour and four small cities exists along the river that need to be warned, traveling upstream toward the dams will be our best and fastest method. Cells phones do not work well here, and there is no guarantee of power lines or landline phones working. The chief says the river will be the fastest route. I hooked the hovercraft to Chief Baker’s four-wheel drive truck. If this event takes place the roads will wash out. Those who do not make it out of their neighborhoods in time will need to be rescued.

One of my dear friends told me a beautiful story a few days ago. He was putting his 3-year-old daughter to sleep and just when she could hardly keep her eyes open she said, “I love you daddy,” and softly drifted to sleep as her beautiful little face rested against his neck. He said, “Tad, words cannot explain how special that moment meant to me. It will stay in my heart for an eternity. And someday, you and your men will save lives so that some dad can experience one of the most special moments in his life just as I did that night…and that one life will make everything you do worth it.”

May we always have strength to persevere in life. To endure the challenges, but even more so, to look forward to those moments when you can say to yourself it’s good to be alive. Someday again soon, the sun will rise on this small town, and the skies will be so blue and beautiful. As for now, I feel we have given this community an opportunity to evacuate but my hope is that the rain holds back and the community does not flood again.

April 3, 2008 - Norfolk, AR Floods

We stayed in Clarendon for about a week until the river situation was stabilized. We had a chance to work closely with the officials in charge, monitor the levees, keep looters away from all the homes that were under water, and help with water pumping when the levees had small seepage.

Reports were coming in from another struggling community about eight hours away. I have not yet decided how many storms I will respond to this year. At some point I am going to have to get back and focus on my for-profit contracting company but for now we are not that far away – and I hear the town has lost up to 100 homes.

I want to do something with my life besides just working, making money, and living the American Dream. Don’t get me wrong…I would love to have a home and a decent car to drive but I want something a little more than that – something money can’t buy. I know there is something more in this life than just working and making money, and I want to find out what that is. For now I’m just going to keep doing what it is I’m doing here. Creating the First Response Team with specialized equipment, technology and staffing. Why? Because it needs to be done. From what I can tell so far we are the only ones doing it and communities in America need this kind of help.

I hope I never lose the passion to live a life worth living, to be a part of something so much greater than myself, to invest in funds that never lose their value…a Wall Street in the clouds if I could be so dreamy.

March 26, 2008 - Clarendon, AR Floods

From what we could tell on the news, Arkansas was getting ready to get hit with some major flooding. At this point I had already been working with a specialized company in Eau Claire, MI, who would design us a specialized hovercraft for water rescues. Hovertechnics agreed to have the boat ready within 24 hours. This special boat has the ability to hover off the ground, allowing us to travel raging rivers, glide safely across iced-over lakes, and patrol and perform rescues in flooded downtown communities reaching those trapped in their homes. Boat ramps aren’t the norm in flooded communities so to compensate for this undeniable challenge the hovercraft will be able to float over asphalt roads, gravel, and grassy fields.

We spent months consulting with some of New York’s best fire chiefs and thanks to Steve Lebretto, Mattituck NY Fire Chief, and Captain Joseph Frohnhoefer, President of Sea Tow International, we were able to strategize on the best unit to perform water rescues in many unknown conditions in the unpredictable disaster zones of the United States.

We seeing reports about a small city in Arkansas called Clarendon and surrounding Monroe County. We arrived in Clarendon to learn that the town geographically is a soup bowl surrounded by raging rivers and lakes with nothing to hold back the “sea of terror” but a dirt wall. In many aspects it reminds me of New Orleans. The small rural town is lower than the surrounding waters but kept dry through engineered levees. But these levees are not as sophisticated as the tall concrete ones I have seen in New Orleans. These are simply dirt. If a small muskrat decided to dig a whole 2 inches big, within 10 minutes the city would be under water.

If you were to look at a map you would find the Cash and White Rivers funneling directly into the city. As I stand on the wall of dirt, below me is this quaint little American town, with schools letting out and kids riding their bikes down Main Street…but behind me is a river that is already 6.4 feet above flood stage. In 1973, a flood destroyed this town when the river rose to 35 feet. Presently the river is at 32.4 feet.

This afternoon the Team and I sat down with County Judge Larry Morris and Allen James, the president of the Levee Board. Judge Larry was openly nervous about what could happen to this community over the next three days as the rivers continued to crest and explained that 6 other housing communities were already under water in the county. Time stood still for just a moment in this old catfish diner. Here I was in this small restaurant, with walls full of pictures of local fishermen proudly displaying their prize catfish, and large glass windows where you could see Main Street folks carrying on with their daily small town lives.

I asked the judge questions for the next 45 minutes and then presented a disaster preparedness plan for the city and county. I explained that we had a dirt bike equipped with GPS and a Satellite phone. We could use the dirt bike to scout the 6.2-mile levy that surrounds the city 24 hours a day. We could alert the police department of any breaches so they could evacuate the community if needed.

I also explained how we could use the hovercraft to monitor the outside of the levy as well as visit all the homes succumbing to the water for possible evacuations.

I also offered the use of an 1800-gallon per minute water and trash pump, which should be positioned so that if the levees were breached we could begin pumping immediately.

Next, we had to address water rescues. Neither the city nor the counties were armed with proper equipment to handle water rescues. The county judge recommended I meet the sheriff, who rerouted 911 water rescue calls to us. Sheriff Barry Henard and Byrl Shaw, the Officer of Emergency Services and a former Lieutenant Colonel in the military, welcomed us and expressed thankfulness for us being here with them through this difficult time.

We toured six housing communities that were under water—thankfully the homes were all empty. We will continue to monitor these communities in case homeowners try to access their flooded property before floodwaters receded. We will also be working with Sheriff Barry to monitor the waterways and patrol for looters trying to burglarize flooded homes.

The atmosphere is full of so many emotions. There has already been great loss in Monroe County but there is also a sense of fear and anxiety in the air. We are here, and we are not going anywhere. My hope is that the six communities that are already under water will be all the loss this county suffers. We will monitor the levees and will be ready to pump the water out if any breaches occur – but it is my hope that’s as far as this disaster will go.

March 15, 2008 - Flood Season is Here

Spring is here and the flooding is beginning in the middle part of our country. So far, the idea of a rescue boat and water pump as part of the First Response Team has just been an idea. But the floods are upon us, and I believe if we have this equipment as a permanent part of the First Response Team we can respond quickly to not only open up roads but also to rescue people from their homes. We can even use the high powered pump to empty water out of buildings the city really needs to begin again, such as hospitals or town halls. We can’t help unless we are equipped, and we can’t respond quickly unless the equipment is on the trucks with us. It’s time to add this equipment to our resources.

December 8, 2007 - Vernonia, OR Floods

We have arrived in Vernonia, OR. We wasted no time getting here, and the trip was long. Seth and I kept on switching out driving since he has a CDL. Toward the end of the 30-hour trip we were doing a few hours each just because we were so tired. A trip like that—after working 8 weeks straight—was tiring to say the least. Thank God Tim was there to keep us up. His positive attitude and love for the next adventure ahead of us in the Pacific Northwest was contagious.

We arrived in Vernonia, once a beautiful little town along a river. Now, there was mud everywhere and a chill was in the air. The houses were still standing but everything in them was destroyed. 750 out of 1000 homes were completely flooded. Everything the people owned was lost, including their food. Many people were pulling everything out of their homes and laying them on the street for the eventual pickup of debris. We can help out here with cleaning up the streets full of debris.

As Seth, Tim, and I were walking along the streets by the river looking for those in need, a lady pulled up and said, “Can you boys help me bring these heavy bags of dog food into that schoolhouse?” We agreed and moments later we walked right into what would be Vernonia’s temporary food bank. There were two ladies there who received the dog food and thanked us for the donation. I immediately asked what this one small room of canned food was and a young girl explained that this was the new makeshift food bank. The original food bank was destroyed in the disaster and everything was lost—food, checkbooks, ledgers, etc. Before the flood this food bank fed 20% of this city, and now there will be much more in need—in dire need.

She went on to explain that the OR food banks were already struggling this year. She shared how the people in her town don’t have meat, milk, cheese, or even pots and pans. The floods brought in farm animal waste that contaminated the homes and even the pots and pans were covered in toxic debris. I stepped outside the old building along the now calm river and made a few phone calls. Within one hour David Kieser, president of the Midwest Food Bank, agreed to send out a tractor trailer to aid the city of Vernonia. David has special relief packages of full startup kits for families who have lost everything. They have pots, pans, towels, cleaning supplies and food. He is also going to send frozen food, meats etc.

I’ve got to tell you, this was the first time I have ever been put in this position. I have never had to help in a situation like this one before – to simply provide food for people in dire need, and it felt good. It was amazing. I’m thankful for my connections, and I’m thankful people trust me enough to send out trucks.

I will never forget standing in the cold night in that small town of Vernonia, with the mountains surrounding us, and knowing that help was on the way to feed these people. So many of the reports that I got were that Vernonia was stable but it looks like that information was incorrect. I’m glad we decided to come here. Times like this make all we do worth it.