In Katrina’s Wake
Just 10 miles east of the eye of Hurricane Katrina in 20- to 40-foot waves and 80-mile-per-hour winds, fishermen on the Mary Lynn furiously bailed water with five-gallon buckets and prayed for survival as a Coast Guard helicopter pilot and his crew launched an impossible rescue mission. It took more than eight hours for the fearless heroes to save three men from a battered boat that no one expected to survive the storm.
Details of their frightening tale can be found in the opening pages of In Katrina’s Wake by alumnus Donald Canney (’69). Released in September of this year on the fifth anniversary of America’s most devastating natural disaster, Canney’s book follows the unsung heroes of the U.S. Coast Guard during the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Canney’s work is non-fiction, but it packs as much action and suspense as a Dan Brown thriller. It offers exciting, in-depth accounts of the Coast Guard’s extraordinary rescue missions and heroic operations, all based on on-scene reports and interviews with more than 100 ‘guardians’ who risked their lives to save thousands.
“They were rowing where former streets were flooded with polluted water to rescue people who were trapped in homes. They were rappelling from helicopters in terrible weather conditions to pull out fishermen from their destroyed vessels,” said Canney. “The writing was more action-oriented than in my previous works, but I wanted to emphasize how these men and women worked on their own to do unbelievable things.”
Canney’s research included trips to the Gulf from Pensacola to Grand Isle and interviews with swimmers, pilots, sailors and top-ranking Coast Guard officials. He also read through thousands of situation reports, which were issued every four hours following the storm’s landfall. Canney said the overwhelming amount of information was one of the project’s biggest challenges.
Born in Connecticut, the long-time historian developed his love for all things nautical by following in the footsteps of his career Air Force father, who was always reading about ships and military history. His family settled in Effingham County, Ga., when he was in high school. Canney, the first president and founder of the University’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta history honorary, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history at Georgia Southern with a minor in English. He recalls living in Cone Hall all four years and that his $350 tuition covered all his classes and a meal ticket for a quarter. “I also remember having great professors like David Ward, Perry Cochran and Julia Smith they didn’t just teach the information, they taught the students, and were instrumental in propelling me into my career as a teacher and historian.”
After a stint with the U.S. Air Force, Canney and his wife, Janice, settled down in Columbus, Ohio, where she worked as a nurse. He was a history teacher, then a journalist with a Civil War magazine. From 1991-2006, he served as a historian for the U.S. Coast Guard Museum, a position that allowed him to travel and collect historical items from all over the country.
Canney said he never set out to become a nationally recognized non-fiction writer. “One day, I was looking for a book about a particular Coast Guard vessel and couldn’t find what I wanted, so I sat down and started writing,” he explained. “I’ve written seven books total, but In Katrina’s Wake was by far the most exciting and the most challenging.
“My next goal is to write a book about how the Coast Guard responded to other natural disasters Mississippi River floods, California earthquakes, and of course, more hurricanes.”
Books by Donald Canney
- In Katrina’s Wake: The U.S. Coast Guard and the Gulf Coast Hurricanes of 2005
- African Squadron: The U.S. Navy and Slave Trade, 1842-1861
- Sailing Warships in the U.S. Navy
- Lincoln’s Navy: The Ships, Men and Organization, 1861-65
- U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790-1935
- The Old Steam Navy: The Ironclads, 1842-1885
- The Old Steam Navy: Frigates, Sloops, and Gunboats, 1815-1885
–Jennifer Tanner