Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries appears in the account as a state agency whose boats might help reach Memorial Medical Center during the evacuation crisis. The evidence establishes its potential role and a reported plan to send boats, but does not confirm that the boats arrived or describe their eventual use.

Resources Considered

As Bob Smith spoke with Cynthia Matherne, he recorded possible sources of assistance, including boats associated with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Matherne suggested that the agency’s fleet of swamp boats might be able to help. The notes also mention staging and pontoon boats as possible resources, placing the department’s fleet within a broader search for ways to move people by water.

Reported Evacuation Support

On Wednesday evening, while Karen Wynn watched, a Tenet official reached Memorial’s emergency room manager with more encouraging news: Tenet had received word that the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries would send boats to the hospital. The report offered a possible route toward evacuation amid uncertainty, but its details remained vague. The account does not establish whether the boats were dispatched, when they might arrive, or what assistance they ultimately provided.

Significance and Limits

The department’s brief appearance shows how evacuation planning extended beyond hospital and corporate channels to state resources with equipment suited to local waterways. Its swamp-boat fleet was identified as a potential aid, while the reported promise to send boats raised expectations at Memorial. The narrative leaves the outcome of that offer unresolved, distinguishing a prospective contribution from a documented rescue operation.