Oklahoma congressman proud of the stateâ€™s troops in helping out in Louisiana

Friday, September 16th 2005, 6:06 am

By: News On 6

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Congressman Ernest Istook gets a sobering, firsthand look at the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and touts the work of the Oklahoma Army National Guard.

Istook saw acres of downed trees, miles of flooded streets, crushed homes and debris from a Blackhawk helicopter yesterday.

Istook also toured the areas of uptown New Orleans where the Oklahoma guard is working. Those included some of the city's poorer neighborhoods where flood waters were as much as five feet deep before being pumped out this week.

On Saint Charles Avenue, one of the richest streets in the country, million-dollar mansions were surrounded by downed trees and wind damage.

Istook says there are 2,400 Oklahoma guard in New Orleans and they have taught the country one of the biggest lessons about such disasters -- to treasure the National Guard.

Brigadier General Myles Deering says the Oklahoma National Guard is patrolling the area, assisting in policing it, and in charge of opening routes through the debris filled streets.