<p>North Stonington Native Piloted Helicopter During Katrina Rescue: Lt. Catherine Carabine speaks to cadets at CGA
By Elizabeth Yerkes
Published on 11/11/2005</p>
<p>New London - If there weren’t such extenuating circumstances, Lt. Catherine Carabine might have been upset when her pet bird flew away shortly before Hurricane Katrina hit. </p>
<p>But the Coast Guard pilot and North Stonington native would soon be airborne herself, co-piloting an HH65 Bravo Dolphin helicopter to rescue 108 people and a few of their pets from the New Orleans area.</p>
<p>“Urban rescues were not in our normal training,” said Carabine, 26, who has been a Coast Guard pilot since November 2003. “Usually we’re over water and the only things that can hurt you are the water or a (boat) mast.”</p>
<p>Carabine and other pilots had to keep an eye out for power lines, roofs and trees, and the 45- to 60-knot winds made monitoring the three helicopter axes even more challenging than usual, she said. </p>
<p>Carabine, who is now billeted at Air Station Houston, spoke to cadets recently at her alma mater as part of the academy’s Operations Spotlight series. She graduated from Wheeler High School in 1996 and the Coast Guard Academy in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Her first duty was two years aboard the 210-foot Coast Guard cutter Confidence, enforcing drug interdiction in the Caribbean. </p>
<p>Carabine’s father, Gregory Carabine, has been a facility engineer at the academy for many years. Her mother, Theresa, who lives in Mystic, said she is very proud of her daughter’s accomplishments. </p>
<p>“Before she set out (on hazardous duty) Catherine called a lot, and we prayed together,” her mother said. “I was very concerned, but Catherine felt that this is what she was trained to do.”</p>
<p>Working in teams of four, Coast Guard rescuers use a flight mechanic, two pilots and a rescue swimmer. While many Katrina rescuers were active-duty Coast Guard, others were auxiliary members.</p>
<p>“The first important thing about rescues is teamwork. I give kudos to the coordination among agencies and rescue workers,” Carabine said. </p>
<p>In Carabine’s HH65 Bravo Dolphin helicopter were also pilot Lt. Timothy Barelli, flight mechanic AMT3 James Guidry and rescue swimmer AST2 Eric Sciubba. </p>
<p>Sciubba secured storm survivors into the rescue basket from roofs, windows and water, and Guidry safely guided hoists and acted as a third pair of eyes for the pilots. The crew deposited survivors in safe dry places, such as the University of New Orleans, before heading off to find more stranded people. </p>
<p>“Taking people from roof overhangs required a high level of precision and resource management,” Carabine said. </p>
<p>Sometimes a successful rescue called for creativity too, she said, recounting the hoist of a 350-pound woman who didn’t fit into the rescue basket.</p>
<p>By the end of September, the Coast Guard had performed 33,500 rescues after Hurricane Katrina. At the Oct. 27 Salute to the Coast Guard in New York City, the Stonington-based Coast Guard Foundation awarded heroism plaques to 13 people who aided the hurricane rescue effort.</p>
<p>Carabine and her crew slept in an office inside Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans, eating MREs and forgoing showers until a portable unit was delivered. Carabine said she dealt with the enormity of the devastation by compartmentalizing and carrying on with her duties. </p>
<p>“While my primary duty is to be a pilot, we are all people first,” Carabine said. “This work is remarkable and rewarding, and I’ve learned that even if you lose everything, they are just possessions.”</p>