Human toll of Hurricane Katrina affects all of us...

"I'm alone in Alabama at a Holiday Inn Express." writes B, an Auxiliarist who lived in New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina came by...

"All I'm doing is crying and wondering how do I start to come back to life." she writes (through e-mail) to one of my colleagues in Public Affairs.

The human toll of this disaster has only just started.

"I almost wish I had stayed in NOLA and had gone with my home. My whole life has been washed away."

Another Auxiliarist writes "my wife and I safely evacuated our home in Waveland, MS. This is where the hurricane made landfall and since my house is about a block off the beach the outlook is not good at all."

His outlook goes beyond his current situation, to the well being of his town, state and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, "Gov Barbaer of MS said that the emergency management center in Bay Saint Louis collapsed, that is where Flotilla 33 had its monthly meetings. Our call out authority, Station Gulfport was completely destroyed, nothing but piling left. That was a solid concrete building 12 feet off the ground."

But the personal pain is there, "I have not heard anything from the Fotilla to the west in Slidell, LA or to the east in Pass Christian, MS. The major bridges are destroyed. All I have right now. which is little, is this information."

These are just two stories in a cacophony of tales we will all hear about in the coming days, weeks and months. These stories concern United States Coast Guard Auxiliarists, but it could just be John or Jane Doe, citizen of a gulf city of Alabama, Mississippi or Louisiana.

The Auxiliary Eighth Coast Guard District Coastal Region commanders still have not heard back from members in many parts of the affected areas. They have spent the last two days tracking down and assisting members personally affected by the storm.

Four Coast Guard personnel from Coast Guard Sector Mobile have not been accounted for. Coast Guard facilities have experienced varying degrees of damage. Early reports indicate Coast Guard Station Gulfport, Miss., was destroyed. Station Venice, La., is partially submerged. Station Grand Isle, Ala., sustained slight damage to the group building and Coast Guard housing. Station New Orleans appears to have sustained little damage, but remains inaccessible by car.

"As part of a committed team, we have been working tirelessly to help those in need and to begin work on the ports and waterways," said Rear Adm. Robert Duncan, the Coast Guard incident commander. "Some of our own people are missing. Many of the Coast Guard personnel responding to this disaster have likely lost their properties. We will be here helping these communities as long as it takes."

Being a member of the Coast Guard family, whether Active Duty, Reserve, Auxiliary or Civilian is more than about service to the country, it's about joining a family, where family members look after their own.

Members of the Coast Guard Family are able to take advantage of financial help offered by the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA). CGMA is a non-profit organization providing financial assistance to the Coast Guard community.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is composed of uniformed, non-military volunteer's who assist the Coast Guard in all of its varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement. These men and women can be found on the nation's waterways, in the air, in classrooms and on the dock, performing Maritime Domain Awareness patrols, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and public education.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was founded in 1939 by an Act of Congress as the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and re-designated as the Auxiliary in 1941. Its 31,000 members donate millions of hours annually in support of Coast Guard missions.

Hurricane Katrina Recovery Information

Emergency Phone Numbers for People in Distress
The Coast Guard strongly urges people in distress in the New Orleans area contact the search and rescue emergency line for the State Office of Emergency Preparedness in Baton Rouge , La.
The emergency numbers are as follows:
(225) 925-7708
(225) 925-7709
(225) 925-3511
(225) 925-7412

To inquiry about family and friends that did not evacuate the Greater New Orleans area contact the American Red Cross at the following number:
(866) 438-4636