Seabees, Canadian Military Rebuild Miss. Town

[NATO AIR]

lots of great stories like this from all over the military...
http://www.news.navy.mil/local/hurricane/

http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=20203

Seabees, Canadian Military Rebuild Mississippi Town
Story Number: NNS050921-01
Release Date: 9/21/2005 800 AM

By Journalist 3rd Class Chris Gethings, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs Detachment Gulfport

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (NNS) -- Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 2, homeported in Little Creek, Va., teamed up with Canada’s Composite Construction Engineering Group to provide Hurricane Katrina relief support here Sept. 16.

The Composite Construction Engineering Group is made up of Canadian Army and Air Force personnel from Naval Construction Troop in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the 4th Engineer Support Regiment, from Gagetown, New Brunswick. They are the Canadian counterparts to U.S. Navy Seabees.

Bay St. Louis was one the most heavily damaged areas on the Gulf Coast, suffering monumental devastation when the hurricane slammed the Mississippi shore.

ACB 2 deployed 200 Seabees - 66 of whom are in Bay St. Louis - in support of disaster relief efforts. They arrived here Sept. 11, relieving Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133.

They were joined by 33 Canadian Army and Air Force personnel five days later, and have been aiding in extensive restoration efforts since.

"Our mission is simple: help reestablish the infrastructure in Bay St. Louis," said Lt. Chris Steele, officer in charge of ACB 2. "We've been receiving daily requests from the Hancock County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in accordance with the town’s priorities."

Steele said the Americans and Canadians have completed 24 projects, including debris and tree removal, building temporary shelters used by local organizations to provide relief efforts, and utility restoration, including replacement of 84 sewer lift stations between Biloxi, Miss., and Bay St. Louis.

"We're working together very well," said Canadian Master Warrant Officer Andre Boudreau, leading enlisted member of Composite Construction Engineering Group. "It's really worked out quite well. We brought some tools the Americans didn't bring, and they brought tools we don't have. We're making a great team in the relief efforts."

Boudreau said he feels this has been a very beneficial deployment for both Canadians and Americans. "Everyone is treating us very well - Seabees and local residents - and we couldn't ask for more."

Among some of the biggest projects, Steele explained, were salvaging of records and evidence at the Hancock County Courthouse and the restoration of the Hancock County Library, a building that is now being used as a relief center.

"I like the fact we're making such a direct difference," said Engineman 2nd Class Matt Harp, a small boats engineman with ACB 2. "Everyone around town waves when they see us, and it's very easy to see how appreciative they are towards the work we're doing around here."

"The church was my favorite project so far," said Harp. "We pulled out the carpet and took out about two feet of sheetrock, all damaged due to flooding."

With both Americans and Canadians working diligently to restore Bay St. Louis' infrastructure, city authorities said more and more contract workers show up every day, and the town is on its way to recovery.

"We're all glad to be here helping out," said Steele, who has a friend who lives in Bay St. Louis. "The bonus is that everyone is benefiting from local, national and international organizations, and we're all working together to get them back on their feet. I don't think it gets any more rewarding than that."