Reserve Seabees Support Katrina Recovery Efforts

Navy NewsStand ^ | Sep 21, 2005 | Cmdr. Meg Reed

[SandRat]

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- Reserve Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 18 are supporting their active-duty counterparts here during hurricane relief efforts.

A twelve-member detachment from NMCB 18, headquartered in Washington, is augmenting NMCB 1, an active-duty battalion homeported at the construction battalion center here.

"Our heart goes out to the people affected by this horrific event, and our unit is proud that we can be part of the first responders to help those in desperate times,” said Cmdr. Bradley Posadas, NMCB 18’s commanding officer. “I'm very happy our personnel from both Helena, Mont., and Central Point, Ore., detachments are there with our other Seabee brethren from NMCB 1 to lend a helping hand."

NMCB 18 started its work at Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss., where 1,000 evacuees from the Gulfport area were transferred to an on-base shelter.

NMCB 18 members supported the activities of the shelter’s welcome center, working side-by-side with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross.

The Seabees were part of the ‘first contact’ staff to assist new arrivals as they settled into the facility.

In addition to the welcome center work, NMCB 18 personnel cleared massive amounts of debris on the base, surrounding roads, and other community areas. In their spare time, Seabees assisted fellow Navy personnel and community members in cleaning up yards and other areas. Without the Seabees’ assistance, some of the debris removal projects would have taken many months.

NMCB 18 members took pride in being able to serve with their fellow Seabees and provide relief to local citizens. Construction Mechanic 1st Class Dale Miller, a maintenance mechanic/millwright from Medford, Ore., said he was glad for the opportunity to assist in this way.

“People have been extremely welcoming," said Miller. "We came to help them, but they try to help us.”

Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Ben Sandu of Portland, Ore., is a firefighter and independent contractor, but wanted to volunteer. “They asked for volunteers, and that’s what I signed up for when I joined the Navy.”

Equipment Operator 2nd Class James Sollee of Central Point, Ore., a public works water crew worker agreed. “It’s our turn, our duty," he said. "Others have been called to Iraq, and we’ve been called here.”

After four days in Meridian, the detachment traveled back to the Gulfport area to support NMCB 1 by contributing diverse and specialized construction and engineering skills to complement their active-duty counterparts.

Some of the Seabees' accomplishments include clearing and readying park areas for FEMA operations bases, assisting Biloxi city public works officials with water projects, transporting water to various shelters, and delivering Seabee equipment to project sites where needed.

NMCB 18 is also augmenting NMCB 1 by providing extra labor for Seabees who are handling their own emergencies related to lost or severely damaged homes and relocation of dependents.

NMCB 18 is headquartered in Ft. Lewis, Wash., and maintains fourteen detachments within seven states - Alaska, California, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Nevada.

[SandRat]

050912-N-5561D-023 Biloxi, Miss. (Sept. 12, 2005) - U.S. Navy Seabees, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion One (NMCB-1), based out of Gulfport, Miss., organize bottled water to give to families at First Baptist Church Biloxi. The Red Cross is using the church as a distribution point for food, water and supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina in the Biloxi area. The Navy's involvement in the humanitarian assistance operations are being led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in conjunction with the Department of Defense. U.S. Navy photo by Journalist Seaman Joanne De Vera (RELEASED)

[SandRat]

Seabees in Mississippi

[roaddog727]

Seabee bump

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[Jackknife]

Thanks for the post!

Thumbs up for the troops!!