NASCAR drivers shocked at Gulf Coast devastation

08:14 AM EDT on Friday, September 30, 2005

By TONY BURBECK / 6NEWS

6NEWS

NASCAR drivers Casey Mears, David Stremme and Kevin Hamlin visited the Gulf Coast Thursday.

Three NASCAR drivers were shocked by the extent of the damage in the Gulf Coast when they flew down for a visit Thursday.

The drivers know they’ve got a lot of fans on the coast and the trip was a chance for them to tell the people down there that they had fans too.

The flight went to Waveland, Mississippi, Katrina’s ground zero.

The mission was to swap out Charlotte SWAT team members protecting Carolina Medical Center’s (CMC) mobile hospital, MED-1.

At MED-1 there was a surprise, drivers Casey Mears, David Stremme and Kevin Hamlin. For the drivers it was a first look at the devastation.

“(We wanted) To show our support for the Carolina’s medical team,” said Hamlin.

In five weeks, MED-1 has treated over 5,000 patients.

“They give you all the time in the world,” said patient Wayne Lander.

Lander passed out from dehydration.

“We are seeing heat related illnesses, the heat index the other day was 111 degrees,” said Dr. Thomas Blackwell from CMC.

Most patients receive prescriptions. Others come with injuries caused by cleanup.

Blackwell said talking with kids is tough. He remembers two girls.

“I said ‘what did you lose?’ And she said ‘Eeyore’ (a toy),” he said. “I asked the 10-year-old ‘what did you lose?’ And she said ‘all my trophies.’”

Down there, every new turn reveals damage.

“It’s crazy,” said Mears. “There’s nothing here.”

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be able to see something like this, see how it’s affecting people,” said Hamlin. “It’s something I never want to have to experience.”

Thursday life in the fast land slowed.

Whether you’ve lost everything, are working around the clock, give help or are sick, like patients at MED-1, it helps knowing someone is rooting for you.

“It’s nice to at least put a smile on somebody’s face,” said Mears.

MED-1 is scheduled to return to the Queen City at the end of October. It has been deployed in the Gulf Coast since early September.