Well, we were doing little things at a time and it built up and became bigger things. If anyone would have given up, we wouldn’t have saved the 16,000 to 19,000 people around the city in water rescues. You did what you could until you couldn’t go anymore, you got some rest, and you went out the next day in your boat and you saved more people. That is a testimony to firefighters in the city of New Orleans.” I’ll tell you that in my 28-year career, I have never been so proud of being a firefighter as I was after Katrina.”
“Many people ask me about the heart breaking stories and everything that happened during and after Katrina, but I saw so many good things. I saw this one retired firefighter, who had retired about 10 years before Katrina struck. He had to retire because every fire he made, he would cough up blood. This guy had used his own boat, run out of gas, and he was pulling a boatload of people to the Superdome to evacuate them.”
“These are the kind of people that make up the men and the women of the New Orleans Fire Department.”
Capt. Joe Fincher had been with the New Orleans Fire Department for 24 years when Hurricane Katrina visited the Gulf Coast.
Joe is a tall man a quiet voice and a ready smile. He is soft spoken and humble in his approach. His comments are interspersed with smiles and calm laughter. When speaking about the New Orleans Fire Department, the twinkle in his eyes and the pride in his heart are obvious.
When asked what has kept him on as a firefighter in New Orleans, he laughed and said, “I guess I have really just enjoyed it. You often hear politicians say that being in Public Service is gratifying, well in the Fire Department, that’s very true; you really get the opportunity to serve people. I think it’s one of the highest callings a person can have to serve people, and I have really enjoyed my career and have found it very fulfilling.”
He added, “…we in the Fire Department also like to say, regarding the difference between the Fire Department and the Police Department, is that everyone is happy to see the Fire Department when we arrive. Only 50% of the people are happy to see the police arrive.”
During the week before Katrina, it was business as usual. Joe said that the week before Katrina struck, reports indicated she was an insignificant tropical storm. He said, “All of the weather reports led us to believe that the storm was really no concern to us, as it wasn’t supposed to head our way.”
Joe recalled being at a prayer service at his church on the previous Tuesday. The Pastor broke out in an inspiring rendering of the 23rd Psalm. Joe felt trepidation during the utterance of ‘walking through the shadow of death’. He said, “This kind of thing doesn’t happen very often and I remember feeling very concerned; at the time I didn’t know why.” He remembered that a premonition that something bad was going to happen stuck with him over the next week. While speaking of this feeling of doom, he closed his eyes a moment, shook his head as if to shake off a memory of something unnerving or uncomfortable. His premonition that something bad was going to happen hung heavy with him in the week before Katrina. As the week drew to an end and the news of Katrina became increasingly alarming, Joe knew that she was the basis for his concern.
On August 25th, the following Thursday, Katrina was upgraded to a Category 1 storm and rode across the southern tip of Florida, losing much of her energy. By 10:30 pm on Friday, August 26th, she re-entered the Gulf Coast and regained some of her former strength. She once again became a Category 1 storm. Fed by the warm waters of the Gulf, she achieved Category 2 status 30 minutes later.
At 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 27th, she was upgraded to Category 3. By 10:00 a.m., predictions of a landfall somewhere between Morgan City, Louisiana and the mouth of the Pearl River (including New Orleans) were being communicated.
Throughout Saturday, August 27th, the Hurricane Liaison Coordination teams met with FEMA Headquarters, staff in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. Briefings occurred between the Max Mayfield, the Director of NOAA’s Tropical Predication Center/National Hurricane Center and Kathleen Blanco, Governor of Louisiana, Bill Filter, Chief of Operations, Alabama Emergency Management Agency, Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi, and Ray Nagin, Mayor of New Orleans.
At 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 27th, a Hurricane Warning was issued for the area. Media alerts were implemented through the region. At 12:04 a.m., Sunday, August 28th, 2005, Katrina was elevated to a Category 4 status with 145 miles per hour winds. At 6:15 a.m., Sunday, August 28th, Katrina was elevated to a Category 5 Hurricane.
Joe recalled that, “I don’t think it was until Saturday morning that it was actually confirmed that it was coming towards us, though as early as Thursday or Friday, I knew it was coming. I knew right then that that’s what my premonition of something bad was all about.”
By Sunday, August 28th, people were deciding if they were going to stay in town or evacuate. Through Saturday and Sunday, the Fire and Police Departments were making hurried decisions as to the best way to deal with what looked like a direct hit scenario. During this time, Katrina exhibited wind speeds of over 165 miles per hour.
As Katrina approached, Joe was on duty with the crew of Engine 18 of the 5th District. They were stationed at Lake Marina Tower, a pre-established ‘last resort’ location. The crew consisted of 3 Captains, Operators and 4 firefighters.
The hurricane protocol for the Fire Department during a hurricane is to get their resources out of the Fire Stations and in to staging areas commonly referred to as “areas of last resort.” These areas were typically larger buildings with multiple stories. These locations required buildings with solid core stairways and sufficient storage room for assets such as trucks and other gear.
Multiple areas of last resort were implemented throughout the city. Joe remembered being concerned about his area’s location as he had worries about the building’s ability to withstand 165 miles per hour winds. He recalled, “I called the Deputy’s Office because I was so concerned about my guys. I asked if we could move to the Fairgrounds. Engine 21's crew was at the Fairgrounds…well, I remember them having refrigerators and such so that’s why I asked about moving us there, rather than being right on the lake.”
Joe got word from Deputy Chief Gary Fank who said, "We've got you there for a reason."
“I thought to myself that this is the reason, this was meant to be.” Thus, Joe’s crew remained on Lake Pontchartrain at Lake Marina Tower throughout the storm and the aftermath. Joe’s location was about 2 blocks from the 17th St. Canal. The canal extended into the city from the lake, and from their location, they had a view of the canal and could easily observe the water levels within the canal. Joe recalled that when the storm arrived, they were watching the levee, but with the extreme wind and rain, the visibility was poor.
Earlier in the day, Sunday, Engine 18 had had several calls requiring response. They moved to their staging areas Sunday evening. Joe noted during their earlier calls how many people were still in town at this time.
As Sunday night wore on, the sounds of the wind and rain increased. The crews were watching news reports, and then tried to get some rest in preparation for the unknown, certain that calamity awaited them.
Joe indicated that when wind speeds get between 40 and 50 miles per hour, responding to a call is considered unsafe. “I remember that even though they weren’t supposed to go out, crews on the other side of our district went back into service and responded to a 2-alarm fire in the area. I remember that incident because it was above and beyond the call of duty; they weren’t