USCG file photo
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Two Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak-based MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crews forward deployed on Saint Paul Island medevaced an 80-year-old King Cove resident reportedly suffering from severe chest pains to Cold Bay Saturday.
Coast Guard District 17 Command Center in Juneau received the call from the King Cove medical clinic requesting the medevac of Lucy Kenezuroff at 6 p.m. Friday however initial attempts were hindered by weather.
The helicopter crews departed Saint Paul at 9:28 p.m. Friday and flew more than 300 miles arriving in King Cove at 12:15 a.m. where the helicopter crews encountered zero visibility conditions and could not safely land. The crews diverted to Cold Bay to wait for better weather conditions.
“We currently have two helicopters deployed in Saint Paul which allows us to respond in a matter of minutes as opposed to hours for this medevac,” said Lt. Timothy Williams, the operations duty officer at Air Station Kodiak. “Despite harsh winter weather, having two aircraft staged in Saint Paul provides extended capabilities for response coverage in the Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea through the winter fishing season.”
Kenezuroff was safely transferred at 11:25 a.m. in Cold Bay to an awaiting medical flight to Anchorage.
Weather in King Cove was reported as winds of 40 mph with blowing snow half mile visibility.
