80th OG lieutenant aids in New Orleans rebuilding effort

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Frank Anguiano
  • 80th Operations Support Squadron
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Second Lt. Garret Moore recently decided to do something somewhat unusual with his leave time, but it was also rewarding and positive. 

The young 80th Operations Group executive officer spent March 10-17 in the city of New Orleans, assisting with the continued relief effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the city 20 months ago. 

Lieutenant Moore was a part of 15-member team from Wichita Falls that traveled to the city as part of the relief group Operation Noah, founded by several New Orleans area churches. Over 300,000 people are still displaced by the storm, many living in Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers or spread throughout the country, with some still staying in Wichita Falls area hotels. 

"It was kind of depressing early on, seeing all that was destroyed," Lieutenant Moore said. "But it became a very encouraging thing later on to witness so many helping people they didn't even know." 

The lieutenant said he had been interested in Katrina relief since the storm hit in 2005. At that time, he went to work at a distribution center while still a student at the University of Texas. The center was key in supplying needed food to victims of the storm. 

This time around, Lieutenant Moore said he and his group spent most of their time replacing sheet rock and insulation at a duplex in the city's Ninth Ward, the area hardest hit by Katrina. The home's owner, Vanessa Williams, was living in a FEMA trailer with six other people. 

Lieutenant Moore said his interaction with her was one of his most memorable experiences, even over New Orleans's unique culture. 

As for continued relief efforts, Lieutenant Moore said there is still plenty of work to be done in the region. 

"There is still a great need for volunteers and money," he said, "especially in the Ninth Ward, and it (is) probably needed for several years to come." 

Click here to learn more about Operation Noah.