Local first responder remembers Katrina

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY.com) - Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast. We're reminded of the lives lost, but also the lives saved. The Coast Guard saved 35,000 people in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina.

Fifth Coast Guard District played an integral role during Hurricane Katrina, including Commander Nevada Smith. Smith helped save 135 people in 3 days.

"New Orleans was basically a big sinking boat with 33,000 people on it, and it was filling up like a bathtub," said Smith.

With no time to spare, and unable to pull the drain on that bathtub, the Coast Guard began plucking people out.

"At one point we had 6 kids in a basket," Smith continued.

Piloting an H-60 Jayhawk Helicopter, Commander Nevada Smith worked around the clock, but it was never enough. Smith said, "I knew for everyone we saved that day there must have been hundreds of other people who needed medicine, needed food, had an infant."

"Some areas the water was so high, all you saw was the roofs of houses, which was pretty scary because we thought some people would be in the attics," Smith continued.

Commander Smith described these moments as surreal and at times stressful. "We did have people come up and pat us on the shoulder and scream over the jet engines, Thank you very much for helping us out."

Five years later, he wondered about those people, especially the kids. "Five year anniversary for me is, you know you see the slide-shows, there's people in there, in the pictures, and I wonder where those people are now."