LAFD returns from Gulf Coast

Members of the Elite Search and Rescue Team drove for thirty-six hours then spent two weeks around Biloxi helping Mississippi dig out from Hurricane Katrina. They were greeted yesterday by family at Fire Station 88 on Sepulveda in the Valley. Today's Daily News:

Many of the firefighters said what they saw in the field - the miles and miles of broken homes, downed trees, flooded streets and hopeless faces - could not compare with the images on television.

"It's something we train for, but the conditions were worse than what we thought," said Capt. Rick Godinez. "The heat and the humidity added to that experience."

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"This team came back as different people, thankful and humbled," said Battalion Chief Craig Fry. "It takes you out at the knees."