CAP planes assessing hurricane’s impact in FL

JAdkinson

Active member
Civil Air Patrol planes assessing hurricane’s impact in Florida

CAP members key for state agencies, demonstrate value of trained volunteers



MAXWELL AFB, Ala. — Civil Air Patrol, the all-civilian auxiliary of the Air Force, is demonstrating the value of a trained volunteer workforce.

CAP members are working federal missions both in the air and on the ground in Florida’s Hurricane Frances-ravaged areas, taking digital photographs of damage to help officials better plan their relief efforts. CAP officials estimate that more than 180 CAP members will be working in Florida for these missions. After only one day of aerial missions, CAP had already flown more than 45 hours to support hurricane relief efforts.

“Many people don’t realize how many people volunteer their time to help when a disaster strikes,” said Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless, CAP national commander. “Civil Air Patrol is an organization that gives volunteers the necessary training and tools to provide important services to emergency management agencies.” Wheless says CAP members are trained not only to fly aircraft, but to mount ground searches and to use special equipment to capture and transmit digital images of damaged areas in near real-time.

The technology includes satellite-transmitted digital imaging systems. Using SDIS, CAP members can capture images from the air with a digital camera, and quickly transmit the images with an onboard laptop computer via e-mail and satellite phone. The transmission can occur in near real-time, allowing emergency operations centers to better plan assistance for disaster victims and assess property damage.

According to Maj. Chip Maher, CAP’s liaison with Florida emergency management agencies in Tallahassee, CAP has played an especially important role in assessing the impact of Frances in the Florida panhandle. “So many state assets have been needed in the southern part of the state that CAP has been especially assessing the hurricane’s impact in the panhandle,” Maher said. “We’re continuing to bring in CAP planes, crews and personnel from other states to perform ground and aerial missions as they’re assigned to us.”

As of this morning, CAP had seven impact assessment teams operating in Florida with three more on alert. More teams from Georgia and South Carolina are arriving in Florida today. CAP has mission operation centers in Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Naples.

CAP owns a fleet of some 550 single-engine aircraft, including Cessna 172s, 182s and 206s. CAP is currently flying seven of these aircraft in Florida, including three specialized SDIS aircraft that were already in the state and three more that have been flown in from CAP’s Great Lakes, Northeast and Middle East CAP regions. CAP is also supplying radio communications systems and ground vehicles as needed for emergency management missions.

After Hurricane Charley hit Florida in mid-August, many CAP ground teams were pressed into service to locate and silence the more than 700 emergency locator transmitters that had been activated by damage to hangared aircraft and docked boats. CAP teams specially trained for such missions are currently on standby.

As weather clears in Florida, CAP expects to continue ground and aerial impact assessment. The CAP National Operations Center at Maxwell AFB, Ala. is coordinating the transfer of aircraft, vehicles and personnel. CAP is operating under the direction of the Air Force National Security Emergency Preparedness Agency and with the support of 1st Air Force under the U.S. Northern Command.

Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit organization with almost 62,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years.

On the Web: http://www.cap.gov



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NOTE: We will release more information on CAP’s involvement in Hurricane Frances relief efforts as we receive further updates.





Melanie LeMay

Public Relations Specialist

Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters
 
Civil Air Patrol continues hurricane assessment in Florida, now preparing for Ivan



MAXWELL AFB, Ala. — Civil Air Patrol’s ability to sustain a lengthy operation is getting a good test in Florida, as members prepare for the possible onslaught of Hurricane Ivan.

Almost 200 CAP members, all volunteers, have converged on Florida to help state officials assess the damage already caused by hurricanes Charley and Frances. As of this morning, CAP had flown 118 hours above affected areas to capture digital photos of the damage. CAP wings in other states have sent in their own aircraft and satellite-transmitted imaging equipment to support the teams working in Florida.

“In providing these photos to emergency officials, CAP has been a valuable and cost-effective resource for the state,” said Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless, national commander of Civil Air Patrol. CAP members capture these images with digital cameras, download them to an onboard laptop computer, and then transmit them from the air via e-mail and a satellite phone link.

“We’re able to transmit these images in near realtime,” Wheless said, “and that helps state and federal officials more quickly prioritize the allocation of disaster relief resources.”

At the request of FL CAP, we have brought aircraft, vehicles and personnel from states as far away as Maine and Pennsylvania to assist with the relief efforts. “Our volunteers are anxious to help,” said John Salvador, who oversees CAP’s National Operations Center, where the transfer of CAP resources and approval for CAP missions are coordinated. “With a national emergency of this scope, the value of a highly trained volunteer workforce can’t be underestimated.”

CAP’s National Operations Center is part of CAP National Headquarters, located at Maxwell AFB, Ala. For the hurricane relief efforts, CAP is operating under the direction of the Air Force National Security Emergency Preparedness Agency and with the support of 1st Air Force under the U.S. Northern Command.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Charley, some 700 emergency locator transmitters were set off by aircraft and boats that were damaged in the storm. CAP ground teams helped locate and deactivate these transmitters so genuine distress signals could be differentiated. After Frances, Salvador said, only about 45 ELTs had to be deactivated. “Apparently people were able to move more aircraft and boats to places of safety this time around,” he said, “and that’s allowed our CAP ground teams to concentrate on damage impact assessments instead.”

According to Maj. Chip Maher, CAP’s liaison with Florida emergency management agencies in Tallahassee, many of CAP’s missions are focusing on areas that have been flooded. “We’re monitoring rivers, dikes and shorelines,” he said.

CAP will soon be shutting down its mission base in Naples, Fla. as part of a state-ordered evacuation of south Florida. CAP officials already in Florida are working with the CAP National Operations Center and CAP leaders in other states to have resources ready if Hurricane Ivan does further damage.

“Since our satellite-transmitted digital imagery services have proven so valuable, part of our preparation for Ivan is training other members to use the SDIS technology,” Wheless said. “We want to support the affected communities not only with manpower, but also with the best technology available.”

Civil Air Patrol, the official Air Force auxiliary, is a nonprofit organization with almost 62,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years.

On the Web: http://www.cap.gov



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Melanie LeMay
 
There have been quite a few missions in the western part of the state. Apparently the 4 ft of water flooding our airports is shorting out the ELTs and altho the switch is turned off then pilots inspect their planes, they begin to scream our names a few hours later.


So during that hurricane, a Ground Team was out in canoes trying to get to one. Great stuff!
 
CrazyCadet142 said:
So during that hurricane, a Ground Team was out in canoes trying to get to one. Great stuff!

Been there done that.

With Ivan all I can say is here we go again *checks flight Gear and Ground team gear*
 
It hasn't been this bad since the 50s. That was the last time something like this happened in Florida.
 
It should be like this for the next 20 years, or so the discovery channel says. Eeek! Something about hemisphere wind changing or something... weird stuff.
 
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