CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Louisiana 

 Sea Grant's office in Cameron was destroyed during 

 Hurricane Rita. • Tim Osborn of NOAA's Office 

 of Coast Survey loads foam bullet floats into a bag for 

 transport to Calcasieu Point Landing in Lake Charles 

 Parish, La. • The Marine Travelift returned the Pat-Al, 

 owned by Capt. Al KathoeSr, to water in Empire, La. 



With the help of a Louisiana Sea Grant 

 coastal advisor and agent, the Gericas cleaned 

 up debris in their yard. 



"Both Rusty Gaude and Mark 

 Schexnayder worked for two days to help clean 

 up debris from our swimming pool and yard," 

 says Gerica. 



Now, the Gericas are trying to get their 

 life back together. He is using a rod 'n' reel to 

 fish one day a week, and his wife is working 

 a couple of days a week at a local farmers' 

 market. 



"Outside of Sea Grant and fishing 

 groups, we have not gotten much of anything," 

 he adds. 



The storm also damaged and destroyed 

 Louisiana Sea Grant's field offices, and the 

 staff is still in temporary facilities. The Missis- 

 sippi-Alabama program lost three buildings, a 

 hatchery and the air conditioning in its remain- 

 ing office building on Dauphin Island. 



Sea Grant 

 Outreach 



Despite the losses, both Sea Grant 

 programs have provided a variety of services 

 for the public. 



The Mississippi- Alabama staff created 

 outreach material for many Vietnamese- 

 speaking fishers in the area whose livelihoods 

 were destroyed in the storm. 



"Sea Grant was on the forefront in 

 helping commercial fishermen," says 

 commercial shrimper Steve Bosarge. "They 

 helped to start a fund for lost gear for 

 commercial fishermen." 



The team also worked with the U.S. 

 Coast Guard and others to clean up debris on 

 oyster reefs in the Mississippi Sound. 



In addition. Sea Grant staff members 

 participated on the Mississippi Governor's 

 Commission for Recovery, Rebuilding and 

 Renewal, to develop a comprehensive recov- 

 ery plan for the state. 



And Sea Grant colleagues from around 

 the country donated boats and other material 

 for the recovery effort. 



Several groups from Valdez, Alaska, 

 donated a 60-ton Marine Travelift that was 

 used to move fishing boats in and out of 

 the water in Plaquemines Parish. Through a 

 combined effort of Louisiana, Washington 

 and Alaska Sea Grant programs, as well 

 as the Federal Emergency Management 

 Agency (FEMA), the Pacific Coast Congress 

 of Harbormasters and the Valdez Port, the 

 boat lift was used to pull boats from bayous, 

 backyards and parking lots. 



In Louisiana, the Sea Grant staff also has 

 spearheaded other projects. 



Using satellite images, geographic 

 information systems and other technology, 

 Louisiana Sea Grant marine extension agent 

 Thomas Hymel developed Hurricane Rita 

 storm surge maps for St. Mary, Iberia and 

 Vermillion parishes. 



Originally created for rice and crawfish 

 farmers, the maps caught the attention of the 

 insurance industry, homeowners and school 

 children. 



"The Federal Emergency Management 

 Agency wants to use the maps in future 

 planning efforts dealing with large storm 

 surges," says Hymel. "Homeowners want 

 them to see the flooding impact beyond their 

 immediate neighborhoods. Students have 

 used them for science projects." 



The Louisiana Sea Grant staff also 

 set up one source of "Disaster Recovery 

 Resource" on its Web site. Because of 

 the program's combined efforts on the 

 Internet, they received a national Apex 

 communications award. 



"We averaged 9,300 page views in 

 October and November," says Liffmann. "In 

 December and January, we had 6,000 page 

 views." 



To help those affected by the two 

 storms navigate FEMA programs and 

 related legal issues, Louisiana Sea Grant 

 Legal Program developed information 

 sheets on Louisiana's building codes, the 

 National Flood Insurance Program and other 

 reconstruction matters. And Liffmann says 

 the post-Katrina recovery efforts are just 

 getting underway. 



"We're starting to think and plan for 

 the rebuilding phase, which is certain to take 

 many years," he says. 



"Many coastal communities are still 

 living one day at a time. But I am hopeful 

 that at the end of the day, we'll be able to 

 return to live and work in safer communities, 

 and that as a society we have a greater 

 appreciation of the risks involved." □ 



To find out more about Mississippi- 

 Alabama Sea Grant's work after Katrina, 

 visit the Web: www.masgc.org. 



For more about Louisiana Sea Grant's 

 efforts, go online to: www.laseagrant. 

 org/hurricane/index.htm. 



To view the fact sheets go to: www. 

 laseagrant.org/comm/fema.htm and click on 

 "Fact Sheets. " 



To learn about the National Sea Grant 

 Law Center 's book bag collection project 

 for school children, visit: www.olemiss. 

 edu/orgs/SGLC/KatrinaKids/angels.htm. 



Coastwatch I Autumn 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 13 



