J. T. Alpaugh
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As Hurricane Katrina headed for landfall on the Gulf Coast of the United States in August 2005, J. T. Alpaugh and Alan Purwin of Helinet Aviation Services of Van Nuys, California headed for the center of the storm with a helicopter and high resolution video equipment. In the days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Alpaugh, co-pilot of the helicopter, joined pilot Purwin in sweeping over the destruction zone. With Alpaugh serving as narrator, their video and audio coverage was carried by all the major U.S. media outlets and was also beamed across the world. Their graphic real time images were seen by every television station, local politicians and police and rescue workers hunting for survivors. The team became the pool chopper for coverage of the aftermath of the hurricane for major television operations after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the selection of a media pool chopper in the restricted airspace over the city. (Chicago Tribune)(Los Angeles Times)
