last modified: Friday, September 10, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

-30-