NAV EX 3rd QTR. 2017 NavEx 3rd Qtr 2017 - FINAL Draft | Page 2

And the Storm Raged On; HURRICANE HARVEY Michael Heid, USCG Aux Story by Thea Narkiewicz 25 August 2017: Hurricane Harvey, one of the most devastating Category 4 hurricanes in the United States, slammed into the southeastern part of Port Aransas, Texas, just outside of Corpus Christi, Texas with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour. Even though coastal communities were braced for impact and evacuated earlier during the week, no one could have predicted the catastrophic flooding and devastation of southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana in Harvey’s wake. Many U.S. Coast Guard units in Texas have been destroyed and over a thousand Coast Guard families, including Auxiliary members have been displaced. Auxiliary facilities were also damaged by flying debris and gale force winds. Looking out into the sunrise of the next day through clouds, civilians in need of rescue saw glimpses of silver linings defined by Coast Guard rescuers. Helicopters from all over the United States containing rescue swimmers rapelling down hoist cables and shallow- 2 draft vessels with Coast Guard personnel answered the needs of approximately 10,500+ people and pets. District Chief of Staff of Eighth Coastal Region, Auxiliarist Charles “Chuck” Maricle, was recalled from the National Auxiliary Convention (NACON) in Orlando, Florida, with the sense of duty to self and others and assisted in establishing, an information and call center that was integral in supporting air and surface facilities. Even though his home was severely damaged by the storm, Maricle worked tirelessly with Coast Guard and Auxiliary personnel to assist in coordinating rescue and response, assisting over 72,000 persons requiring resources or rescue. At a continued rate of 1,000 calls an hour, Auxiliary members were able to provide call center support for 30-45 minutes at a time until the emergency call center was moved to Washington, D.C. The support continued at the Incident Command Post (ICP) at NAVIGATO