Officer reflects on Hurricane Katrina

By Heather R. Breaux

August 10, 2006 at 12:09 pm  | Mobile Reader | Print 

Residents from all areas of southeast Louisiana shared in the devastation.  However, each person’s account of what happened is detailed by their own emotions, even those stories told by the men and women whose job it is to stand first in the most difficult of times.  One of those people is Cpt. Patrick Yoes of the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Yoes, who oversees the Special Services Division for the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, shares with the world his experiences in his new book, “Chest Deep and Rising: The Hurricane Katrina Nightmare.”

“This story conveys a moment when the future seemed out of reach, and out of control.  It was a time when our world collapsed all around us.  It was a time of ever-changing challenges, unspeakable horrors, and survival.  Equally important, it was a time of bravery, heroic acts, and selfless devotion by America’s first responders,” said Yoes.

According to Yoes’ web site, this memoir captures the before, during and after effects of Hurricane Katrina, and details the 16 grueling days after the storm when first responders were discovering the horrific results of the hurricane.

After the hurricane hit, Yoes worked with the Fraternal Order of Police in an effort to assist those officers who were directly placed in the middle of the devastation, and his book zeroes in on the failures of emergency prepardness and provides suggestions as to what needs to be done in the future.

According to Yoes, he decided to write the book after receiving a detailed personal account of the hurricane from a friend.

Yoes, who has been employed by the sheriff's office since 1984, said he wrote the book in order to recall his own experiences and involvement with emergency services and recovery efforts, and to urge others to share their stories.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the Fraternal Order of Police Charitable Organization, the Annual National Peace Offices Memorial Service in Washington D.C. and the FOP Disaster Relief Fund.

The book costs $22 plus shipping and handling, and can be purchased online at www.patrickyoes.com.