As Hurricane Rita drives its way to the Texas Gulf Coast, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Units in the Texas Gulf Region have been busy repositioning surface and air assets as well as preparing their personnel to be ready to respond after the storm has passed.
The Texas Gulf Region is part of the same Auxiliary Coast Guard District as the New Orleans Gulf Region which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Ken Boncic, is a Division Captain in the Houston area. Auxiliarist Boncic was a key component in the Auxiliary Aviation response to Hurricane Katrina.
Since August 28th, Auxiliarist Boncic has been consumed by the hurricane and relief work. Now, with Hurricane Rita in his own back yard, Boncic is organizing his fellow Texan Auxiliarists to respond to Rita.
Boncic stated "many of our trailerable boats are in the process of moving inland for safekeeping to be redeployed back to the coast to assist the Coast Guard."
The Auxiliary Aviation Unit has also moved its airplanes to the north to be ready to redeploy once the weather clears, so they can do the early damage assessments for the Coast Guard’s Integrated Command.
Coast Guard Auxiliary communications personnel are also preparing for deployment of radio communications facilities throughout the Galveston Bay area (South of Houston) to facilitate communication with aircraft and vessels in the area.