Civil Air Patrol in Skies Over ND Flooding
Civil Air Patrol picture of Wahpeton, North Dakota and Breckenridge, MN Red River flooding on March 24, 2009.
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Critical integration of efforts and resources has helped the citizens of North Dakota during the recent flooding that has hit that region in the past several days.
Part of that interagency integration has been placed in the hands of the Air Force Auxiliary, the official federal aviation arm of the Civil Air Patrol that provides indispensable emergency services to the U.S. Air Force and its customers.
The North Central Region of CAP has been flying AFAUX missions since March 19, when the unit received word about the potential of flooding in the Red River area of North Dakota, as well as other surrounding areas in Minnesota and South Dakota. Since then, they have flown more than 30 sorties and captured hundreds of visual images to give emergency responders and on-scene commanders the most up-to-date picture of the affected areas. In the case of flooding, CAP imagery can alert decision makers of damage to vital infrastructure, which can ultimately help save lives.
Falling under the operational control of the Joint Forces Air Component Commander, Maj. Gen. Hank Morrow, the AFAUX works around the clock to assist federal, state, county and local government and law enforcement agencies. One of the added benefits of employing AFAUX in its role is the amount of money saved by the Air Force. On average, it costs $120 an hour to fly and maintain a CAP aircraft, whereas the cost of flying an Air Force fighter, helicopter or larger aircraft is much higher, making CAP a cost-effective force multiplier and essential part of Air Forces Northern’s Defense Support for Civil Authorities mission.
Air Forces Northern’s response is coordinated by U.S. Northern Command. USNORTHCOM is responsible for defense of the homeland and, when ordered by the President or Secretary of Defense, defense support of civil authorities.
Table of contents for North Dakota Flooding 2009
- North Dakota Guard in Flood Fight
- 800 Guardsmen to Fight Flood in E North Dakota
- North Dakota Guard Joins Flood Relief
- Coast Guard Aids in North Dakota Flooding
- ND Guard Uses Iraqi War Skills to Fight Flood
- Sandbagging to Save Fargo
- Guard Working in Midwest Floods
- Current North Dakota Flood News
- Rescuing Rose – ND Guard Good News
- Morning News for Fargo Flooding
- Coast Guard Rescues in North Dakota
- Military Assistance to North Dakota Flooding
- Civil Air Patrol in Skies Over ND Flooding
- North Dakota Flood Operations Continues
- National Guard Defends Pembina From Flood
- Sheyenne River Nearing Crest in North Dakota
- HESCO Barriers – a Photo Primer
- Video of Coast Guard Flood Rescue Near Kindred
- Reinforcing the Cottonwood Creek Dam at Lake LaMoure
- Fighting the Flood in Southeast North Dakota
- Guardsmen Returning to Hometowns for Duty
- North Dakota Guard in Action During Flooding
- North Dakota Flooding Update: Cottonwood Creek Dam at Lake LaMoure
- A View From a Soldier Serving in LaMoure
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This entry was posted on Sunday, March 29th, 2009 at 6:45 pm and is filed under Disasters, Military. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
