"Sky Harbor staff lands praise for work with evacuees"

Friday, September 16, 2005

Airport staff lands praise for work with evacuees 
Aviation board reviews response to Katrina flights
By Katie Ruark
The Arizona Republic


PHOENIX - Employees of the Phoenix Aviation Department see countless planes
land every day, but there were four flights in particular that they may
never forget.

The Aviation Advisory Board met Thursday and discussed its participation in
the evacuation of about 600 Gulf Coast people survivors of Hurricane
Katrina.

During the course of one weekend, the airport staff greeted people who were
sick, injured and grieving. They provided the survivors with wheelchairs,
ice, food, shoes and other necessities. People in need of immediate medical
attention were taken to local hospitals and others were bused to the
Veterans Memorial Coliseum. advertisement  

The first flight arrived at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, and three more flights
followed.

"I am so proud and happy of the volunteers for the role they played in
this," Phoenix Vice Mayor Michael Johnson said. "I feel like the moment
those people stepped off the plane they felt like they had hope.

"It was an outstanding experience," he added.

The airport's emergency operation center was open and active during the
evacuation to help those in need. The center serves as a command and meeting
post for emergency personnel.

"I was actually blown away by the professionalism of the folks who operate
this," said Art Hamilton, member of the Aviation Advisory Board. "It was
seamless."

Many of the evacuees had just been rescued and were promptly put on the
plane without knowing where they were going.

"These folks went through a really terrible ordeal, and I think that the
personal touch that (city officials) gave was really important," Aviation
Director David Krietor said. "We very much appreciate it."

City officials met evacuees at the airport, rode the bus to the Coliseum
with them and stayed until they were settled in.

The department also plans to send 14 electricians and building maintenance
personnel to the Gulf Coast to aid in repairing the Louis Armstrong New
Orleans International Airport next week. 

They will be there for 10 days and plan to take along all of their own food,
water and other necessary supplies to support themselves.

"I am very, very proud of this group," said Carl Newman, assistant aviation
director. "They know that they will be working very long hours and the
circumstances are not going to be the best, and none of them flinched."


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