NAV EX 2nd QTR 2018 NavEx 2nd Qtr 2018 - FINAL | Page 3

THUNDER OVER LOUISVILLE Team Coast Guard Steps Up to Ensure Safety Story by H William Smith Louisville, Kentucky – Thunder and lightning were the order of the day on 21 April, 2018 as aircraft and fireworks lit the sky over Louisville, Kentucky with its signature celebration, Thunder Over Louisville. The annual party on the Ohio River kicks off more than two weeks of events as the region welcomes the world to the Kentucky Derby. For more than 25 years the combination air show and fireworks extravaganza (one of the largest in North America) has attracted more than 600,000 people to the banks of the Ohio in celebration of activities surrounding the Derby. steps up to ensure that the river, the stage on which the event takes place, is safe. Thunder Over Louisville, one of the major events along the river each year, is a showcase for the Louisville community and the U.S. Coast Guard is an important part of both the community and the show. The Coast Guard’s Sector Ohio Valley is headquartered in Louisville and while Coast Guard personnel make up a fraction of the estimated 2,000 people who work the event, all of Team Coast Guard This year, the swift, debris-filled, waters forced Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley’s Captain of the Port to close the river to recreational boating for about 10 miles surrounding the festivities. The expanded closure called for all elements of the Coast Guard to work as a team. Active Duty, Reserve and Auxiliary members worked together to make sure everyone enjoyed the show and that the chocolate-brown river caused no harm. LEFT: L-R Rick Goranflo (82-04-02), Rick Schal (82-04-01) and Nick McManus (82-04-01) scan the Ohio River up-stream for floating debris during Thunder Over Louisville. OR express Safety First Safety is paramount during an event this large. On festival weekend this year, that mission was complicated by a river swollen by spring flooding and debris. Typically hundreds of boaters take to the river to watch the air show and fireworks from on the water near what is usually a much smaller safety zone. No Easy Task The task of shutting down the river to recreational boating and controlling all access during the air and fireworks shows required both operational and public affairs resources that began prior to the event Continued on Page 4 3