Urban Search and Rescue Heroes

Our friend Jocelyn Augustino, a photographer, has been following FEMA Urban Search and Rescue crews around New Orleans for the last week. We received this dispatch yesterday:

Just wanted to drop a note to say I'm fine....in spite of the fact that I'm living in hell....you couldn't even begin to imagine things down here. I have lost the charger for my cell phone so have not been able to return my personal phone calls. Hope to resolve that...someday;) other than that...very tired...living off of very little sleep...the rescue guys remain my heroes -tragic that the media has decided to slam the FEMA operation which in turn slams these men. People are still getting rescued...had a bunch today in areas that are flooded...you couldn't believe the lift of spirits for these men and women when they make a rescue.
Just a reminder that, even as we express our dismay and outrage over the inadequacy of leadership and the initial responses to the New Orleans disaster, the Urban Search and Rescue men and women in the field deserve our thanks and respect.

See some of Jocelyn’s photos at http://www.fema.gov/storm/katrina/photo_katrina1.fema?id=5.