Sunday, September 6, 2015

35 people rescued from a sinking houseboat on Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana




Coast Guard rescues 35 in Lake Pontchartrain 


September 6th, 2015 

 


NEW ORLEANS, LA

Crewmembers from Coast Guard Station New Orleans and good Samaritans rescued 35 people from a sinking houseboat on Lake Pontchartrain, Saturday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a mayday call at 9:26 p.m. from a houseboat that had flooding in the engine room. The houseboat was tied to pilings on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway when a storm hit. Watchstanders at Sector New Orleans directed the launch of a 45-foot Response Boat – Medium crew from Station New Orleans.

Two boatcrews responded: one crew evacuated the houseboat with the help of a good Samaritan, while the other crew pumped the water out of the boat and towed it to a local marina.

There were no reported injuries.