Air Force Spidermen plucking stragglers from New Orleans

Washington Post:

With the wind whipping around him, Air Force pararescue jumper Alex clipped his waist harness onto a cord, braced his feet on the open doorway of the Pave Hawk helicopter and pushed backward into the void above New Orleans for the umpteenth time.

He dangled in the air, spinning slowly, as he descended about 60 feet alongside a three-story brick housing project north of the Louisiana Superdome. The pilot, Capt. Adam, kept the rescue helicopter hovering precariously close to the building, which is surrounded by floodwaters.

Alex landed gingerly on the roof of a dark-blue Chevrolet Suburban adrift next to the building. Then, in an agile, Spider-Man-like maneuver, he leapt from the car onto a nearby balcony and disappeared, going to the aid of a woman they spotted there moments earlier.

Since Hurricane Katrina struck, Sr. Airman Alex, 21, of New York, and 450 other Air Force Special Operations search-and-rescue personnel have pulled about 3,000 New Orleans residents from the flood, including as many as 180 in a single helicopter sortie. Their helicopters are equipped with flares, infrared sensors for searching, and hoists that can lift up to 600 pounds. The Air Force operation, involving 185 aircraft, has rescued and evacuated more than 19,000 people from the city so far, according to Capt. Tom Montgomery, a spokesman for the Air Force Special Operations Command.

A nice story that is worth the read.

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