GIVING BACK

Photo by Lt. Col. John Schmidt, Kansas Wing
A Kansas Wing photograph taken above Greensburg, Kan.,
shows some of the damage resulting from an F5 tornado packing
205 mph winds that destroyed most of the town on May 4.
CAP members in aircraft and on ground teams volunteered
more than 300 hours to help their communities in the aftermath
of the deadly storms.
alone was struck a total of four times.
Aircrews in four Cessna aircraft flew along tornado
paths for 20 hours reporting severely damaged areas to
CAP’s ground search and rescue teams. Digital photos of
the damage were e-mailed to the state’s Emergency
Operations Center.
CAP ground teams also served an additional 40 hours
assisting with regional communications and checking for
devastation at various locations.
1st Lt. Arthur Grover drove to Greensburg Airport and
found it mostly unscathed, then went to check on several
private landing strips.
“There was one place, a hotel, where the roof was off
and there was a car sitting on its nose in one of the
rooms,” he said.
At Kansas Wing Headquarters in Salina, members
there put in more than 240 hours of the 300 total, manning
radios to coordinate communications between air,
ground and command staff as well as other agencies, such
as the Kansas Air National Guard. Members there also
worked on flight lines, directing and parking aircraft.
“Our primary mission was to look for people in distress,
or, where it appeared there was major damage or
people trapped, we were supposed to call in or photograph
that information so the Kansas National Guard or
air/ground ambulances could respond,” said Pearson.
Pearson said the wing’s work helped guide relief
efforts.
“The information we passed on caused the Kansas
National Guard and Highway Patrol to redeploy their
resources to areas that were hit harder, which relieved us
to leave a little sooner and it helped them concentrate
their resources where needed,” he said.
CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Antonio J.
Pineda applauded the missions.
“The work our volunteers performed in Kansas exemplifies
the dedication and love of country of CAP members
across America who help their communities in times
of peace, but especially during crises,” he said. “It also
highlights the capabilities of CAP to use advanced technology
like satellite-transmitted digital imaging to take
airborne photography of damaged areas and immediately
send these via e-mail to emergency managers.” ▲
I take pictures here?’
vator.
— Lt. Col. John Schmidt, Kansas Wing vice commander
”
U. S. Civil Air Patrol Volunteer 11 July-August 2007