Air Force stands ready for 2006 hurricane season

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  With hurricanes Katrina and Rita still fresh on their minds, Air Force officials stand ready to face anything Mother Nature may throw at them this hurricane season, senior leaders here said.

“We provide first-in, last-out support for humanitarian crises and natural disasters,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley. “Airmen excelled at accomplishing a difficult mission under chaotic circumstances last year, and we’re even more prepared this year because we learned many valuable lessons from those experiences. We’re better prepared to protect the public.”

From communications to logistics to airlift, many components came together in response to the hurricanes that slammed the Gulf Coast and destroyed Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. The Air Force response was one of the first major Total Force operations experienced on American soil.

“Many units supporting the effort were combined, from active, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve,” said General Moseley. "Our Airmen worked alongside the joint team to save lives and relieve suffering."

That everyone was able to come together so quickly and get the mission done is no surprise to him.

“Our innovative Airmen always are seeking new ways to improve and provide unprecedented capabilities for civil support and homeland defense,” the general said

In support of Katrina and Rita relief efforts, Air Force aircrews delivered more than 12,000 tons of supplies and evacuated about 3,800 patients by air, while more than 29,000 evacuee passengers were flown out of the devastated regions.

Air Force medics treated more than 16,000 people, and more than 6,900 people were rescued, making Hurricane Katrina efforts the largest search-and-rescue operation since Vietnam.

Expeditionary combat support Airmen also helped deliver 182,640 Meals, Ready to Eat and 242,507 gallons of water. They also delivered 92 tons of supplies to devastated Keesler AFB.

Though thousands of lives were saved because of the Air Force’s response, the service faced many challenges along the way, the biggest being a lack of seamless communication and coordination with civilian agencies.

It is not uncommon now for civilian emergency responders to train with the military in response exercises, General Moseley said.

“We never stop learning,” he said. “We never stop reviewing past missions and operations to see if there is more (upon which) we can improve. Based upon the many successes and lessons learned from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, I’m confident our Airmen will be ready to step up to the plate again in response to any disaster the nation faces.”