Vet launches heartwarming social media campaign to find girl he rescued during Hurricane Katrina

THE hashtag #FindKatrinaGirl is gaining momentum on social media as an Air Force veteran tries to locate a little girl he rescued 10 years ago.

‘Help me find this little girl I rescued’

THE hashtag #FindKatrinaGirl is gaining momentum on social media after an Air Force veteran launched a campaign to be reunited with a girl he rescued 10 years ago during Hurricane Katrina.

Michael Maroney performed a helicopter rescue to save the girl and her family when they became stranded on a flooded street.

“They were in knee-high water waving at our helicopter, so I went down to help them,” he told ABC News today.

“They told me their house was in ruins, and they wanted to get out.”

Mr Maroney said the girl instantly boosted morale on the flight as she soothed her mother’s fear of heights while pointing out familiar locations from the sky.

“I’ve seen a lot of destruction in my time, and New Orleans was intense, but for this girl to be happy, smiling and resilient despite the devastation was such a powerful moment,” he said.

“To be that strong, man, I swear that girl could rule the world.”

01/09/2005. As the National Guard patrols, Louis Jones (L) and Catherine McZeal help each other walk down flooded Poydras St. in New Orleans as they go to the Superdome, days after Hurricane Katrina flooded the city. The couple got together to help each other thought their crisis. "They wouldn't let our children help us" Mrs. McZeal said, referring to the fact that people were not allowed to drive into the area to help relatives. AFP PHOTO/MANDATORY CREDIT: DALLAS MORNING NEWS-MICHAEL AINSWORTH

When the rescue team safely delivered the family to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, the girl grabbed Mr Maroney and embraced him.

The touching moment was caught on camera and severed as a symbol of hope for those devastated by the storm.

“When she wrapped me up with that hug, I just melted, and the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders,” he said.

“Everything in the world just stopped, and I wasn’t in New Orleans or in the devastation, I was just being hugged by a beautiful little girl.”

The moment was to be short lived as the rescue team were quickly back in the air searching for more stranded victims.

Through all of the commotion, the 40-year-old never got the girls name.

He said he began the search five years ago and hopes this campaign will be pivotal in locating her.

“I’ve thought about her and her family every day,” he said.

“I just want to let her know how much she’s inspired me and to see how she’s doing.”

HELP US OUT, FACEBOOK We have a mission! #FindKatrinaGirl: This Air Force Vet wants to reconnect with a little... http://t.co/r9vlNP9W2T

— Mike Rice (@WarfighterRadio) March 23, 2015