‘God be with you'

Slidell, Louisiana - The devastation was gradual. It started on the side of the road as the Regional Tactical Team, with members from Woodbury, Harriman and Tuxedo, drove down from Highland Mills, N.Y., to St. Tammany's Parish in Louisiana. Trees were down. Houses were missing. Damage just filled the landscape. When they came to the bridge across a main artery along Route 10, they saw the fury Hurricane Katrina had spent. "It is unbelievable that water could reach 20 to 30 feet, that seaweed and debris could be laying on the top of what remained of the bridge," said retired Woodbury police chief Ted Jones. They would later see other bridges completely submerged, Jones said. Memberss of the team returned to Orange County earlier this week. They arrived at their command post in Oak Harbor on Sept. 6. Jones stayed in his motor home while the Regional TacticalTeam: Woodbury's Sergeant Clifford Weeks, officers Kevin Phillips, John Bourke and Chad Quackenbush, Harriman's Sgt.. Jeff Mahran and retired Tuxedo Police Chief Ted Dalesandro camped out on air mattresses at the Sheriff's Academy. The men are getting an instant geography lesson. They learned that many of Louisiana's homes are on canals — and the state boasts 900 miles of waterfront. Basically, Jones said they are dealing with the state's waterways. The team split up and worked with the military - the Alabama National Guard Reservists from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Riding in Homeland Security boats, their duties included checking out all boats and the grim task of keeping their eyes open for bodies. So far, Jones said during an interview earlier this week, they haven't found any. They are also on the lookout for looters and guns. One thing Jones said he and his fellow officers found surprising was that there could be very little damage to a house, except for its roof, "but you go round the bend and it is total devastation." "You think it is bad," Jones added, "and then you see something worse. You see boats rammed into houses, one remaining part of a home, or you see nothing but a driveway, there's nothing left. "Some homes do not really have that much damage, but it's the inside that is a disaster. There is mud up to the kitchen cabinets. When the water starts receding, the mud comes pouring out of the house." Jones brought his own boat to help in the rescue effort. He parked it in front of a house, whose owner just wants to know when the power is coming back. "We don't know," he told her. "She was surprised to find out that we came down from New York," Jones said. "Others tell us we have accents and talk funny. "I'm glad we came because the people are so appreciative," he added. "Of course, not when we take their guns away from them. And, we have taken quite a few away since they are allowed to have guns in this state. The people want to protect themselves, but they can't now that they are under martial law." Many of the people he encounters offer a kind word, a thank you, or ask if he and the team members want some water. And they yell out to the rescue teams, "God be with you."