Coast Guard ends search for person in water near Venice, Louisiana

Coast Guard imagery courtesy of Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans (archive).

NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard has ended its search for a person who was last seen swimming in the Lower Mississippi River near Venice, Louisiana, Sunday.

Coast Guard crews searched 216 square miles for approximately 26 hours.

“The decision to end a search is never easy,” said Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Plummer, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. “We saturated the search area with multiple crews from different units but were unable to locate the missing man. Our thoughts are with the family of the missing man during this difficult time.”

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 5:38 p.m. Saturday of a missing 26-year-old man who was last seen swimming in the Lower Mississippi River near mile marker 19 at Fort Jackson at 5 p.m.

The missing man was wearing a black shirt and blue shorts.

Involved in the search were:

• An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans
• A response boat medium crew from Coast Guard Station Venice
• The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Sailfish
• A marine unit from Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office

-USCG-

Coast Guard rescues 2 people from disabled vessel

Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Giles (archive).

NEW ORLEANS – A man captured his own rescue on video when he was hoisted from a disabled vessel in Otter Bayou, approximately 20 miles southeast of Hopedale, Louisiana, Saturday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 12:30 p.m. Saturday of a disabled recreational vessel with two men aboard in Otter Bayou.

Watchstanders directed the launch of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans to rescue the men.

The aircrew arrived on scene at 5:30 p.m., recovered the men and transported them to Air Station New Orleans in stable condition.

Two men are rescued from a disabled vessel by an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans in Otter Bayou, approximately 20 miles southeast of Hopedale, Louisiana, August 10, 2019. The aircrew arrived on scene at 5:30 p.m., recovered the men and transported them to Air Station New Orleans in stable condition. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy video/Released)

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Coast Guard adjusts port conditions in Gulf Coast region

Members at Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans are preparing their personnel, gear and assets for Tropical Storm Barry, July 10, 2019. Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Alenxandria Preston.

NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard is adjusting port conditions and pre-staging response assets in the Gulf Coast region due to a forecast tropical depression expected to form by Thursday.

Port conditions change based on weather forecasts, and current port conditions can be viewed on the following Coast Guard homeport webpages:

• Sector Mobile, Alabama: https://homeport.uscg.mil/port-directory/mobile
• Sector New Orleans: https://homeport.uscg.mil/port-directory/new-orleans
• Sector Houston-Galveston:https://homeport.uscg.mil/port-directory/houston-galveston
• Sector Corpus Christi, Texas: https://homeport.uscg.mil/port-directory/corpus-christi

The Coast Guard is warning the public of these important safety messages:

• Stay off the water.​ Hurricanes and tropical storms can be deadly and our ability to conduct rescues can be diminished or non-existent at the height of a storm. Be prepared, stay informed and heed storm warnings.
• Be prepared. Owners of large boats are urged to move their vessels to inland marinas where they will be less vulnerable to breaking free of their moorings or to sustaining damage. Mooring lines should be doubled in case of high winds. Boats that can be trailered should be pulled from the water and stored in a place that is not prone to flooding. Those who are leaving their boats in the water are reminded to remove EPIRBs and to secure life rings, life jackets, and small boats. These items, if not properly secured, can break free and require valuable search and rescue resources to be diverted to ensure people are not in distress.
• Stay informed. The public should monitor the progress and strength of the storm through local television, radio, and the Internet. Boaters can monitor its progress on VHF radio channel 16. Information can also be obtained on small craft advisories and warnings on VHF radio channel 16.

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Coast Guard assists in rescue of 3 people from capsized vessel

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Giles (archive).

NEW ORLEANS —The Coast Guard assisted in the rescue of three people whose boat capsized in Alligator Pass in Delacroix, Louisiana, Friday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 7:10 p.m. that a vessel with three people aboard capsized in Alligator Pass.

Water currents swept two of the people away from the boat.

Sector watchstanders directed the launch of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans and a 24-foot Special Purpose Craft—Shallow Water boatcrew from Coast Guard Station New Orleans to assist the people.

The Coast Guard helicopter crew located the two people who were swept away and directed a St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office boat crew to their location.

A good Samaritan rescued the other person near the capsized vessel.

The three people were taken to Sweet Water Marina in Delacroix in stable condition.

Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the response.

“Teamwork was a major factor in the success of this rescue,” said Scott Talbot, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Sector New Orleans. “Thanks to a combined response with our partner agencies, we were able to quickly locate and rescue the three people. If you are aboard a vessel that capsizes, we urge you to attempt to remain near the vessel because it can greatly increase your chances of being located and rescued.”

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Coast Guard rescues 2 people from sinking vessel

U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer Elizabeth Bordelon (archive).

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard rescued two people from a sinking vessel in Bayou Eloi approximately 33 nautical miles east of New Orleans, Sunday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report at 7:30 p.m. Sunday via a marine VHF radio of a 30-foot boat with two people aboard taking on water in Lake Eloi.

Sector watchstanders directed the launch of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans and a 24-Foot Special Purpose Craft boatcrew from Station New Orleans to assist the people.

The aircrew located the vessel at 8:33 p.m. and directed the Coast Guard boatcrew to its location.

The boatcrew arrived on scene and transported the people to a good Samaritan vessel in stable condition.

The Coast Guard urges mariners to have visual and sound signaling devices readily available on all voyages in case of an emergency to assist responders in rescue missions.

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Coast Guard rescues 6 people from disabled vessel

MH-65 Dolphin Aircrew with the Rescue Swimmer in hoist operation ©USCG (archive)

NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard rescued six people from a disabled vessel in the Atchafalaya Bay near Morgan City, Louisiana, Monday.

Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received a report from St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Department at 12:50 a.m. of a disabled 16-foot bass boat with two adults and four children on board.

Watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew at 1:15 a.m. The aircrew arrived on scene at 2:30 a.m. to locate and establish communications with the disabled vessel and a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Department surface asset crew.

Due to the water depth the surface asset crew was not able to reach the disabled vessel.

The MH-65 aircrew hoisted the six people from the vessel and transferred them to Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport in Patterson, Louisiana, at 3:58 a.m.

There were no reported injuries.

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