Planes and personnel mobilizing to prepare for storm

Civil Air Patrol is mobilizing its aircraft and personnel to prepare for Hurricane Frances, which is expected to hit the Florida coast on Saturday.

CAP is moving aircraft equipped with satellite-transmitted digital imaging systems (SDIS) to “safe haven” locations as close as possible to the hurricane’s expected path. CAP members will use the SDIS systems to capture and transmit aerial photos of affected sites.

“CAP’s aerial imagery proved to be valuable in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley,” said Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless, CAP national commander. “Florida’s emergency operations agencies want to have this resource available again.”

Using SDIS, CAP members can capture aerial images from the air with a digital camera, and quickly transmit the images via e-mail and a 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.

CAP will have personnel from the Florida Wing onsite at the Florida State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, Fla. and expects to activate more than 100 members to work on aerial and ground missions during the coming weeks.

CAP members, all of whom are volunteers, will be available to transport key officials and healthcare supplies to support emergency response agencies. According to CAP Southeast Region Commander Col. Matt Sharkey, CAP ground teams also are likely to be deployed to find emergency locator transmitters that may be activated on hangared aircraft or docked boats that sustain damage in the storm. “During Charley, more than 700 of these transmitters were activated on boats and planes that were damaged by the storm,” Sharkey said. “It was important to locate and deactivate these transmitters so emergency officials could differentiate genuine distress signals.”

CAP will coordinate the transfer of aircraft, vehicles and personnel for hurricane missions through its National Operations Center at Maxwell AFB, Ala. As the civilian anxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, CAP will operate under the direction of the Air Force National Security Emergency Preparedness Office, U.S. Northern Command and 1st Air Force.

“CAP can provide SDIS services at a relatively low cost to emergency agencies,” Wheless said. “One reason is that our members are all volunteers who contribute their own time and resources to train and stand ready for such operations. Our people sacrifice time at home and work to perform these missions, often traveling considerable distances to be available when needed.”

Also on standby for assistance to hurricane victims is the CAP Chaplain Service, which includes members trained in critical incident stress management. CAP chaplains will be available to guide hurricane victims to sources of emotional and physical support,” said Col. Charles Sharp, chief of the CAP Chaplain Service. “This is a particularly difficult situation for those who are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Charley. We want people to know they have places to turn for help.”

FMI: www.cap.gov