CTWG: Hurricane Earl Press Release #3

PRESS RELEASE

3 September, 2010
Connecticut Wing Headquarters, Civil Air Patrol
United States Air Force Auxiliary
Public Affairs Office
Middletown, CT 06457


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Civil Air Patrol helps FEMA Urban Search & Rescue Team members conduct pre-storm photographic assessments

September 3, 2010 (Middletown, CT) – Today, multiple Civil Air Patrol aircraft from the states of Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island flew ten sorties in support of pre-hurricane damage assessment missions.

These sorties allowed Federal Emergency Management Agency, Search & Rescue Team Leaders to get a good aerial view of many sensitive areas before Hurricane Earl arrives. The aircraft overflew Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Providence and Province Town as well as many other parts of Southern New England. The aircraft were manned by members from all three states and were under the direction of CAP Hurricane Earl Incident Commander, Maj Mike Heath from the Connecticut Wing.

The Civil Air Patrol, a multi-capability all volunteer organization is often tasked with storm related missions that include air and ground search and rescue, disaster center services, searching for stranded survivors, monitoring of evacuation routes, digital imagery assessments of storm related damage and critical infrastructure impacts as well as air and ground transportation of critical personnel, medicines, materials and supplies.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U. S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with 59,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and saves an average of 80 lives per year. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the nearly 24,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 69 years. For more information on CAP, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com, or the Connecticut Wing at www.CTWG.cap.gov

Additional Connecticut Wing Press Releases will be released as conditions develop. The releases will be posted to the Connecticut Wing blog page, www.AlwaysVigilant.blogspot.com.