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
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