NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Coast Guard saved more than 30,000 lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. One Guardsman, the father of WBRZ Chief Photographer Charles Jones, recounted his experience nearly 20 years after one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the Gulf Coast.

Heath Jones recently retired from a 30-year career in the Coast Guard as the 14th Master Chief Petty Officer, the highest-ranked enlisted member in the service. He was born in Baton Rouge and grew up in Covington. 

When Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29, 2005, Jones was the Executive Petty Officer at USCG Station Little Creek in Virginia Beach, Va. His team was mobilized overnight and sent to New Orleans the next day to man rescue efforts.

"Because I was from New Orleans and knew the area and had been stationed there in the past, they sent me to lead that team," Jones said.

When he arrived, the city he knew and loved was unrecognizable. 

"I know the city very well driving, and I know the waterways around the city very well on a boat. Now overlay the two. And now you're trying to operate a boat in the middle of neighborhoods," Jones said. 

Seeing the destruction left in the wake of Katrina is something Jones will never forget. He was headquartered at USCG Station New Orleans, right next to hundreds of flooded homes, many belonging to fellow Guardsmen. Jones said working alongside them "reaffirmed how amazing our Coast Guard men and women are."

"To walk right up on the levee on the 17th Street Canal there, and see nothing but rooftops because all of that was underwater, and know that half of the crew there, those were their houses," Jones said. "And to watch their ability to put that behind them and focus on getting 30,000 people out of the city, it was inspirational every single day."

As he worked tirelessly day and night, Jones watched as the human spirit endured in the wake of the storm. "You could see people that had never met, but people coming together," he said. 

Now, with his service complete, Jones treasures every second he gets to spend with his family, never forgetful of how hard it was to be away from them. 

"At the end of the day, the things that are left behind in a storm if we get out of harm's way, is stuff. And maybe now that I'm a grandfather and I'm getting old and emotional, but stuff can be replaced, people can't."

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