TRAVERSE CITY -- The sound of helicopters hovering overhead has been a welcome sign of relief for stranded residents of flood ravaged North Dakota.
United States Coast Guard HH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopters and crew members have been on the ground -- and in the air -- since being dispatched to the record setting Red River flood area last Wednesday.
After a week of conducting precision rescues, including extracting stranded Abercrombie, N.D., residents from the roof of their flooded home, five helicopters, including three based in Traverse City, remain in the area.
"They will be there as long as it takes for the situation to get better, as long as lives are at stake we will be there," said Lt. Christopher Yane, public affairs officer at Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, noting that 95 rescues, 27 by helicopter and 68 by airboat, have been completed.
More than 20 dogs, cats and other various pets have also been rescued.
Coast Guard units from Sault Ste. Marie, St. Clair Shores and throughout the Midwest, along with FEMA, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and numerous other agencies and volunteers are working together to save and protect the lives of those affected by the flooding.
For Air Station Traverse City pilot Lt. j.g. Aaron Antrim, his first deployment with the Coast Guard is one he will not soon forget.
The veteran United States Marine Corps combat pilot, with 10 years of experience and three tours in Iraq, was uncertain of what to expect when he was called to assist in the flood response.
"I was expecting it to be complete chaos, but it was not," Antrim said.
"The residents are very well-organized, which makes our job very easy," said Antrim, who spent hours going over maps to familiarize himself with the terrain.
"You sort of lose track of time while in a response like this. All the days just melt together, but we focus on the mission and accomplish the tasks at hand," Antrim said.
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