Airmen stand ready in wake of Hurricane Rita

  • Published
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  Approximately 800 Air Force people, 91 aircraft and 31 equipment packages with a variety of capabilities have actively supported Hurricane Rita response efforts, or continue to stand ready to do so.

Pararescue teams with the Air Force Reserve's 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., and the 347th RQW at Moody AFB, Ga., remain on ground alert at Randolph AFB, Texas, and at Ellington Field in Houston, after completing 23 missions and nine saves in response to Rita, as of Sept. 26.

An Air Force OC-135 aircraft launched an aerial mapping and imagery mission Sept. 26 out of Offutt AFB, Neb. The images will assist in recovery planning for roads, infrastructure and refineries. Furthermore, an Air Force U-2 surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft from the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale AFB, Calif., flew an imagery collection mission Sept. 25 over the affected Gulf Coast areas.

Members of the all-volunteer Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the Air Force, have flown the majority of Air Force missions in recent days for aerial assessment of damage, as well as search and rescue. The CAP has 12 aircraft and 20 aircrews staged out of Dallas Mission Base in Addison, Texas, and from Stinson, Texas, near San Antonio.

To accomplish this spectrum of missions, the Air Force flew 20 missions Sept. 25 for a total of 112 missions flown to date in preparation and response to Hurricane Rita. The Air Force plans to fly at least nine additional missions Sept. 26 in the affected Texas and Louisiana coastal areas.

The Texas Air National Guard's 147th Fighter Wing out of Ellington Field is fully engaged in recovery operations and community clean up. The 136th Tanker Airlift Control Element and the 136th Aerial Port Squadron from Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas are also at Ellington Field to assist relief and recovery efforts as needed. The Air Force also has a variety of communication teams, assets and capabilities poised at Ellington Field and Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

Lackland AFB, Texas, provided shelter and dining facilities for Naval servicemembers and their families who were forced to evacuate coastal areas. The majority of the nearly 1,000 evacuees returned home Sept. 25. While sheltering these individuals, Wilford Hall Medical Center set up a sick call and pharmacy service to accommodate the Navy personnel and their families. Wilford Hall Medical Center's neo-natal intensive care unit also provided care for five babies from Beaumont, Texas.