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The Katrina Files: A Disaster Medical Team And The Chaos At The New Orleans Arena

WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio | By Paul Maassen,
Mark Cave
Published August 12, 2015 at 11:00 AM EDT

This month, as part of WWNO's ongoing Katrina 10 coverage, we bring you The Katrina Files: Reflections from First Responders. This series is based on oral histories conducted by The Historic New Orleans Collection and hosted by Paul Maassen.

Click here to listen to the second installment of The Katrina Files.

This episode features interviews conducted by Mark Cave in 2007 with members ofDMATCA-6, a Disaster Medical Assistance Team from the San Francisco Bay area. 

Two days after the storm , this group of 35 doctors, nurses and other specialists were assigned to provide medical assistance to the thousands stranded at theSuperdome. They evacuated many patients by helicopter, but the challenge to care for the thousands that remained became overwhelming as supplies grew thin.

Leaders from DMAT-CA6 cite a lack of supplies as one of the reason for their departure.
DMAT-CA6, via the Historic New Orleans Collection /
Leaders from DMAT-CA6 cite a lack of supplies as one of the reason for their departure.
A few of the thousands left stranded at the New Orleans Arena.
DMAT-CA6, via the Historic New Orleans Collection /
A few of the thousands left stranded at the New Orleans Arena.

Copyright 2015 WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio
Louisiana News
Paul Maassen
Paul arrived at WWNO as general manager in March 2008. Since his arrival, Paul has strengthened the station’s finances, introduced new national news and information programs, revamped the digital WWNO2 schedule to complement 89.9, and launched digital WWNO3 as an all-jazz channel. He has placed new emphasis on WWNO’s role in the community, devoting resources to local news reporting and cultural features, and encouraging new collaborations among New Orleans’ cultural organizations and the region’s public media. Paul began his radio career in metropolitan New York – New Jersey, where, over eleven years, he served as on-air personality, operations manager, and program director for four commercial stations. In 1998 he became general manager of WNTI, a public station in Hackettstown, NJ affiliated with Centenary College, where he managed an all-volunteer staff. In 2005 he moved to the Dayton, OH area to serve as general manager of WYSO.
See stories by Paul Maassen
Mark Cave