When Houston and the entire southeastern area of Texas were hit hard by Hurricane Harvey, members of the US military, National Guard and other agencies were called up to assist.

The US Coast Guard plays one of, if not the most important roles before, during and after a hurricane hits, as it is the primary force tasked with maritime Search and Rescue or “SAR” as it is commonly known among emergency first responders.

With Hurricane Irma bearing down on Cuba, the Bahamas and the Florida mainland the Coast Guard has a critical role in ensuring the public’s safety.

Arutz Sheva was privileged to join a series of missions with crews from the largest Coast Guard Air Station in the US, USCG Clearwater Air Station located just outside Tampa, Florida which is currently bracing for the storm.

USCG Clearwater has just recently provided assistance with supplies offloaded from its C-130 aircraft as well as by deploying 4 HH-60 Jayhawk Crews for assistance with Search and Rescue.

Situated just north of St. Petersburg, the Clearwater air station's area of responsibility covers 156,000 square miles of ocean around the entire state as well as the Bahamas. Its crews are involved in about 350 search and rescue incidents yearly. The Tampa area features a large amount of privately-owned maritime vessels along with a significant amount of merchant shipping. Adding to that are the cruise ships travelling around the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

Florida, and more importantly the Gulf of Mexico, is a known breeding ground for intense storms. While fans of the TV show Game of Thrones are familiar with the phrase “Winter is Coming”, area temperatures under Air Station Clearwater’s purview aren’t likely to drop below 65 F (18 C) during most of the year. Nevertheless, the Gulf of Mexico's winter weather is always just around the corner with a tropical storm or hurricane.

Driving during bad weather can be harrowing and flying during a hurricane seems insane. Yet the men and women of USCG Clearwater are on constant alert, ready to roll when a ship or person places a mayday or SOS call.

Flying the Jayhawk, a version of Sikorsky’s venerable and familiar Blackhawk, these crews have a basic set of tools for performing a rescue when called upon. Each crew has, in addition to 2 pilots, a radar technician and a diver who are tasked with conducting the rescue which, in many cases, involves operating a hoist to retrieve both the swimmer as well as the rescued subject.

Clearwater’s HH-60 teams and Coast Guard operations demand a cohesive team effort when performing their task. Elements that include Clearwater’s rescue swimmers who literally get their feet wet and are tasked with the actual hands on the victim during a rescue. After spending a day watching them jump in to the relentless choppy ocean, it’s clear that there is a unique level of dedication attached to this particular job.

Hurricanes can present some of the Coast Guard’s most challenging operations with fighting unknown elements - a daily occurrence. In 2015 during Hurricane Joaquin, Clearwater’s HH-60s rescued 12 people who abandoned the Minouche, a 212-foot cargo Bolivian-flagged vessel, when it started sinking.

The Coast Guard is one of five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and even though the nature of their role does not associate with daring rescue missions, the nature of the job requires being an extremely qualified pilot in adverse situations. The elements they stave off are often much more dangerous or unknown than most fighter pilots experience in today’s operational theatre.






While the seasons may change in the Southern most coast of the US, it is apparent that the men and women of Clearwater are constantly working to stay fit for their next task be it SAR or any mission set they are otherwise tasked with, we pray for their safety in particular in the challenging weeks ahead.


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