The survivors passed on what they had learned from the City of Heroes  fallen and they continued to hone their skills in their respective departments, going from emergency to emergency. "We do it every day in New York City," the younger Downey said. The team came together for its first post-9/11 USAR mission almost exactly three years ago, when Katrina struck New Orleans. For 10 days, Downey, Barberio and the others searched flooded homes in the devastated city. The desire to help was joined by the wish to repay the country for all it had given New York in its own darkest hour. "The guys felt compelled to do it," Barberio recalled. Now, in the season City of Heroes  that marks the anniversaries of both 9/11 and Katrina, the team was again heading south. "Hopefully we won't see anything like that again," Downey said. The team includes four K-9 dogs, so highly trained by their NYPD handlers they can distinguish the living from the dead.

A passing police helicopter circled in tribute as the convoy set off, first two tractor-trailers laden with equipment and supplies under blue tarps, then eight vehicles carrying team City of Heroes  members and gear. The white command vehicle carried Barberio and Downey, who figured that wherever the storm hit, things were already looking better than they had three years ago, after Katrina caught FEMA woefully unprepared. "This year, we'll get down before it hits," Downey said.