PRESS RELEASE

LDWF Continues Efforts in Search and Recovery Operations
BATON ROUGE (September 13, 2008) - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) resumed search and rescue (SAR) operations on Saturday, September 13. As of 6:30 p.m. today, the SAR team had rescued 118 people in Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson, and Vermilion parishes. Fourteen airboats remained on standby at the forward command post in Jennings.

LDWF enforcement teams made attempts to check on residents in hurricane-affected areas and many individuals chose not to evacuate. LDWF will begin secondary searches to ensure the safety of residents who chose to remain in areas that were affected by Hurricane Ike. Federal Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams will also resume search and rescue efforts tomorrow, September 14, as needed.

Total SAR personnel on a state level are 623, with 334 watercraft vehicles. These numbers include resources from LDWF, the Louisiana National Guard (LANG), Federal USAR teams and fish and game state agencies from Arkansas, Ohio and Virginia. The LANG and U.S. Coast Guard will continue to provide aerial reconnaissance support for SAR missions as needed.

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