"....And of course the alligators swimming around in the top of the homes and attics."

Texarkana pilot witnesses alligators

in New Orleans
Saturday, September 3, 2005 1:39 PM CDT

Seeing destruction causes illness of heart, mind & soul
By JIM WILLIAMSON
Texarkana Gazette
Link Here

Don Ruggles may forever have a vision of an alligator trying to get into the attic of a flooded New Orleans home.

It was recorded on videotape while Ruggles was piloting one of his helicopters in the rescue efforts of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Ruggles is the owner of Helicopters Southwest of Texarkana, Ark., and has been hired by FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA and law enforcement agencies. He is flying rescue missions and documenting the damage and problem areas for the federal agencies.

"To see the horrible destruction of homes, highways, bridges, industry and the horror of people trying to be rescued is to literally be sick in the heart, mind and soul," said Ruggles.

He had returned Friday afternoon to Texarkana for maintenance work on his second Bell Jet Ranger helicopter. He will send one of his pilots, Todd Adams, back to New Orleans in the relief effort. Adams is a Miller County Game & Fish Wildlife officer and served as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Bosnia for the Army.

After the maintenance work is completed, Ruggles will have two helicopters flying for the federal agencies. Helicopter pilots for LifeNet ambulance service are also helping fly missions over New Orleans. Adams will continue to fly missions to find people on rooftops or trapped by water, then call in the latitude and longitude coordinates to the Coast Guard and Army Black Hawks. The military or Coast Guard will then rescue the stranded people. He will be joined by Ruggles who also has been flying missions.

"It's a horrible situation. We saw several alligators in the neighborhoods and one was swimming into the top of the home where likely people could be there trying to save themselves," Ruggles said. "There are rats, bats, snakes, large fish, and of course the alligators swimming around in the top of the homes and attics."

Ruggles has been stationed at the Baton Rouge airport since about 8 a.m. Tuesday. He and his crews have slept on the floor of the airport, getting about three hours of sleep Tuesday night, no sleep Wednesday and about 45 minutes of sleep Thursday night.

At times, he said helicopters were being shot at while flying rescue missions.

"We didn't have any bullet holes in our helicopters, but other pilots said they saw the people firing. We saw people carrying rifles, but we assumed it was the military or police," he said. "The shooting incidents were primarily east of the French Quarters, along the industrial canals and near the Superdome.

It is a traumatic situation for everyone, Ruggles said.