The Joint Harbor Operations Center received a call from the crew of the cruise ship, Carnival Elation, stating that a 30-year-old woman was suffering from severe bleeding, and requested a medical evacuation. A Coast Guard flight surgeon was consulted and recommended the woman be medically evacuated.

A boatcrew from the Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) San Diego was diverted from their mission to conduct the medevac. The woman was transferred from the cruise ship to the MSST boat, and transported to the San Diego Harbor Police dock where emergency medical services were standing by.

These rescues are part of a multi-agency operation that is responding to major flooding along the Red River in North Dakota. Coast Guard personnel, airboats and aircraft are assisting in this effort led by the state of North Dakota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In total, there are 27 local, state and federal agencies involved.

The Coast Guard has a total of 49 people in the region to support this operation. The resources on scene include:

* HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and crew from Traverse City, Mich.
* MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and crew from New Orleans
* Airboat and crew from Marblehead, Ohio
* Airboat and crew from Belle Isle, Mich.
* Airboat and crew from Alexandria Bay, N.Y.
* Helicopter crew from Houston
* Helicopter crew from Corpus Christi, Texas
* Two Coast Guard Auxiliary communications units
* 6-person boat maintenance and support team

Also, an incident management team comprised of 23 personnel is working at Sector Upper Mississippi in St. Louis.

“Our primary goal is to provide the necessary support to the state of North Dakota, who is leading all response efforts, as well as integrate into the federal support team headed by FEMA,” said Capt. Steven Hudson, commander of Sector Upper Mississippi. “Our crews will work with our fellow agencies to conduct welfare checks and perform rescues and other critical functions to ensure the safety of the residents affected by this flooding event.”

A good Samaritan found an approximately 20-foot canoe with four fishing poles, a seat cushion and no one aboard at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. The good Samaritan then contacted the Coast Guard.

A Coast Guard Station Mayport small boat and Coast Guard Air Station Savannah, Ga., helicopter is searching the surrounding area for the possible missing owner.

The canoe has no marine growth on it.

If anyone has any information about the canoe or its possible owner, please contact Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, Fla., command center at 904-564-7511.

The Coast Guard immediately responded by launching the Dolphin aircrew from Air Station Miami. The aircrew arrived on scene and hoisted both kayakers at approximately 6:45 a.m. then took them to Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West where they were listed in stable condition.

Sector New Orleans launched an MH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter and crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans to assist. The helicopter crew hoisted and transported the uninjured boaters to the Hammond Regional Airport where they were met by their family members and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The rescued boaters were to coordinate the retrieval plan for the grounded boat on Saturday.

Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach received a radio call late Friday from the 33-foot fishing vessel Commander advising that the vessel was disabled and adrift.

A 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Coast Guard Station Morro Bay and Coast Guard Cutter Blacktip were dispatched to the scene. A 30-minute communications schedule was maintained between the disabled vessel and the Coast Guard until the rescuers arrived.

Once on scene, the 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew took the disabled vessel in tow and returned the vessel safely to Port San Luis, Calif.

The Coast Guard reminds all boaters to maintain proper safety equipment on their vessels, including floatation devices, flares or smoke signals, and a marine VHF radio.

“Our nation’s military provides us with first-class protection, and it is our obligation to provide them—and their families—with first-class health care in return. While some of this Committee’s members may disagree on overall health care reform, we are united in our commitment to ensuring that any measure signed into law will not have any unintended consequences that adversely impact the military health care programs for our men and women in uniform and their families.

“Although the health care legislation passed by the House explicitly exempted TRICARE from being affected, the Senate bill did not. Unfortunately, the parliamentary rules of the reconciliation process did not allow for the inclusion of language that specifically protects these programs. To reassure our nation’s service members and their families that their health coverage will remain unaffected by this, I will introduce legislation this week to explicitly state that TRICARE and the NAF health plans meet all requirements for individual health insurance; this language will also be included in this year’s national defense authorization bill.”

The Sequoia deployed a dive team to inspect and repair five buoys.

“The dive team really increases the efficiency of Sequoia’s aids to navigation maintenance operation by allowing multiple buoys to be serviced at the same time,” said Lt. Alex Buchler, the Sequoia’s dive team leader.

Mariners of Tanapag Harbor now have brighter lights and more vibrant buoys to guide their safe transit. The crew replaced eight aging buoys with new hulls and upgraded the old-fashioned lighting system with new light emitting diode (LED) technology.

The old lighting system, which utilized lead acid batteries, a solar charging panel, and incandescent light bulbs, were removed and replaced with self contained LED lanterns. The LED lanterns offer greater visibility and have a longer lifespan resulting in a safer channel that requires less maintenance.

“With the new technology on the buoys, it is important to report any discrepancies with the aids to navigation to the nearest Coast Guard unit,” said Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Salas, the Sequoia’s commanding officer. “We’re committed to providing a safe waterway to mariners and keeping the navigation system working.”

The multi-agency safe boating operation kicked off Friday and will focus on ensuring recreational and commercial Chinook fishermen operate safely on the water, have required safety gear aboard their vessels, enforce state fishery regulations and to implement Operation Make-Way.

Operation Make Way is a joint recreational boater education and enforcement campaign designed to help boaters understand the need to give way and stay clear of commercial deep draft vessels restricted in their ability to maneuver on the Columbia and Willamette rivers.

The Coast Guard, along with local law-enforcement agencies will also patrol the rivers and keep a sharp lookout for people boating under the influence or who operate a charter vessel business without being properly licensed. All illegal passenger vessel operations will be subject to a civil penalty or other law enforcement actions.

Charter vessels should be outfitted with proper lifesaving and firefighting equipment, an emergency checklist, and passengers must receive a safety orientation upon departure from the dock. Random boat checks will be conducted by various agencies at the public access boat ramps and along the rivers. Boaters without required safety equipment or who are providing illegally operations, will be prohibited from getting underway.

For more information on Operation Make Way and the dangers recreational boaters face from commercial vessels, please visit the campaign’s web site, www.volunteerlifesavers.org/makeway.

One of the first sport fishing tournaments in 2010, the 17th annual Winter King Salmon Derby, will be held this Saturday in Homer. The derby is the first time many boaters will be out on the water since the end of the Summer 2009 boating season. Last year, more than 220 boats and 800 anglers braved wintery March temperatures to participate in the event.

“Rapidly changing weather, harsh terrain, and frigid water present a unique challenge for boaters in Alaska,” said Commander Steve Pearson, Coast Guard Sector Anchorage’s Chief of Response. “Preparation, safety gear, and filing a float plan are a boater’s best bet towards surviving an emergency while on the water.”

The Coast Guard recommends that every boater carry the following safety items:

• A 406 Mhz EPIRB (make sure you register it after purchase, or rescuers may be delayed in reaching you! In remote Alaska areas, this may become your ONLY way to call for help.)
• A Coast Guard-approved life jacket (because they float, you don’t…)
• A handheld VHF marine radio with extra batteries
• A Coast Guard approved fire extinguisher
• A first aid kit packed in a watertight container
• A signaling kit (mirror, whistle and day/ night flares)
• Warm and water resistant clothing appropriate for Alaska’s extreme environments
• And for larger boats, a life raft with a survival kit

The Coast Guard Auxiliary will be available in Homer throughout this weekend’s derby for courtesy vessel safety inspections. For more information on scheduling a free inspection, please contact Homer Auxiliary Lead Vessel Examiner Mike Riley at 907-399-7808.

Boaters are also encouraged to attend a boating safety course before enjoying Alaska’s scenic waterways. To find a class in your area, please visit http://www.aboutboatingsafely.com/.