,
07
October
2017
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00:00 AM
America/Chicago

La. Wing Prepares for Hurricane Nate Response

Lt. Col. Amos A. Plante
Public Information Officer|
Louisiana Wing

The Louisiana Wing has prepared its air and ground assets throughout the state and has called all its members to alert status for Hurricane Nate.

The wing is preparing to provide immediate support to the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for recovery efforts following the storm

At present and until Nate passes through, wing assets are secure. Airplanes normally based at airports in Nate’s path have been flown to safe locations, and Civil Air Patrol aircrews will be ready to receive taskings immediately after the hurricane.

As Nate drives relentlessly towards the coastlines of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi, flooding and strong storm surges are expected in both states. Both local and state emergency management agencies will require immediate assessments of the storm's impact so they can mitigate damage and direct recovery efforts in the most efficient manner.

Louisiana Wing efforts will be directed by Col. Art Scarbrough, incident commander as well as the wing's vice commander, who has had many years of experience in leading the wing’s emergency services activities.

“In the case of Hurricane Nate, we can serve as our customer’s eyes by providing high-resolution aerial and ground based images to help identify points where lives and property are in greatest jeopardy," he said.

When tasked, the wing can quickly launch its aircraft for not just aerial photography but also for damage assessment, search and rescue, assistance to law enforcement agencies, and transportation of critical cargoes such as organic tissue,” Scarborough added.

He also noted that the wing can roll out as many as 20 vehicles for transportation, ground- level searches and damage assessment missions.