|
|
NEW ORLEANS, La. — When the Great New Orleans Flood of 2005 commenced, Univar Sales Representative Tony Gugliuzza had a front row seat. Gugliuzza’s house is located in Mid-City New Orleans, just three miles east of the 17th Street Levee breech.
Gugliuzza was on his balcony during the storm and watched as the initial flooding began. He witnessed the water levels on the street rise from about 6 inches to about 1½ feet. “At that point I knew I had to get out,” Gugliuzza said.
So Gugliuzza traveled to a nearby country club, where he was able to secure a tractor. He then used the tractor to evacuate eight family members and neighbors. Soon after, the 17th Street Levee breeched. “It wasn’t what most people think of flooding where water levels slowly rise — it was water running like it does in a fast-moving river,” he said.
For the next three days, Gugliuzza and stepfather Kevin Gambino, used a flatbottom boat and a pirouge boat to evacuate neighbors, many of whom were elderly and did not evacuate because of pets. Gugliuzza said he and his stepfather probably evacuated about 200 neighbors, transporting them to higher ground in nearby Metairie, La.
By the fourth day, the U.S. military, U.S. Coast Guard and other federal emergency relief officials were in New Orleans. Gugliuzza traveled with officials from the Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire Arms Bureau on an air boat. “When they arrived it was chaos,” Gugliuzza said. “They were not in a position to rescue, but to secure the perimeter. I was there to tell them where to go to save people and which neighborhoods were bad.”