Louisiana DWF Agents Rescue More Than 1,500 in Aftermath of Hurricane Isaac

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 08.30.12

As of 9 a.m., Aug. 30, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents had rescued 1,537 people in St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes since yesterday afternoon, Aug. 29.

LDWF agents worked around the clock evacuating residents to higher ground from rising floodwaters.

Louisiana’s Joint Information Center is placing photos from the search and rescue millions that took place in LaPlace yesterday afternoon and this morning online using the photo sharing site Flickr. These photos are courtesy of LDWF.

To see today’s photos, click here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/lagohsep/sets/72157631325476930/

The following is a breakdown of rescues by parish.

St. John the Baptist Parish: 1,435 people and 131 pets using 50 agents with vessels
St. Tammany Parish: 60 people and one pet using 10 agents with vessels
Tangipahoa Parish: 42 people and 17 pets using six agents with vessels

“These agents have done a commendable job of working through very tough conditions and getting people out of harm’s way to higher ground,” said Col. Winton Vidrine, head of LDWF’s Enforcement Division. “Our agents are highly trained and prepared to handle these catastrophic events and have plenty of experience since Katrina. We will continue to handle search and rescue requests and respond to people that are in need of assistance.”

Through the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, LDWF is the lead agency for search and rescue operations during natural disasters. LDWF has over 200 agents with vessels at the ready to assist those in need during flooding conditions.

For more information, contact Adam Einck at 225-765-2465 or aeinck@wlf.la.gov.

For emergency updates from the State of Louisiana, visit emergency.louisiana.gov or follow along on Twitter at @GOHSEP and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/gohsep.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.