By Rob Wyman
U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area

PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The coordination, prioritization and deployment of Coast Guard cutters, aircraft, smallboats, disaster assistance teams and personnel from across the nation is being orchestrated by a Portsmouth command to support Hurricane Gustav pre- and post-landfall operations.

Vice Adm. Robert J. Papp, Jr., Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, is the operational commander of Coast Guard forces from the Rocky Mountains to the Persian Gulf.

"Our top priority is the protection and safety of life at sea, both for mariners and residents of the Gulf coast, as well as for our own Coast Guard shipmates who live and work in and around Louisiana," said Papp. "The Atlantic Area staff has or will deploy thousands of Coast Guard personnel and dozens of aircraft and ships to pre-staging areas just outside the projected impact area - from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Clearwater, Fla. These forces will work for our Eighth District command, headquartered in New Orleans, and will augment the personnel already there to immediately respond to any emergency needs, as well as requests for support from FEMA and others, as soon as the storm passes."

A variety of Coast Guard cutters are being moved into areas in the Gulf of Mexico in preparation to provide on-site command and control support, and other assistance operations, as soon as Gustav passes. These include the 210-foot medium endurance cutter Decisive, from Pascagoula, Miss., and the Portsmouth-based 270-foot medium endurance cutter Northland. Aircraft and crews from such places as Elizabeth City, N.C., Detroit. Mich., and as far away a California, have also deployed to the Gulf coast.

An additional priority for the Coast Guard after a hurricane makes landfall is to protect and restore maritime commerce.

"Maritime commerce, the Mississippi River, and the associated waterways along the Gulf coast, are critically important to the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and to all domestic and international maritime commerce," said Papp. "Restoring this maritime transportation system will be a top priority, and in support of that we have already deployed a maritime transportation system recovery unit to the Gulf coast to work with our Coast Guard personnel there in planning and prioritizing a safe restoration of that system."

During Katrina air crews flew more than 1,800 sorties, rescuing more than 12,500 people, and 42 cutters and 131 small boat crews were used to rescue approximately 21,200 more, totaling more than 33,500 people. More than 5,000 Coast Guard personnel served in Katrina operations, conducting not only search and rescue, but also aids to navigation restoration, the cleanup of the more than 4,000 pollution cases, security and then recovery operations, and the removal of more than 3,000 fishing and work vessels that the hurricane scattered across the landscape.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the residents of the Gulf coast, especially those in the direct path of Gustav," said Papp. "I want them to know that their Coast Guard is doing everything possible to have as many resources available to assist the federal government's response. I have complete confidence in the dedication of our Coast Guard personnel, and in the strong relationship they share with their federal, state and local emergency responders, to get this job done."