Aerial Photo Missions Planned for Today Over Harvey-Slammed Areas

Lt. Col. Johanna Augustine
Public Information Officer
Texas Wing

The Texas Wing is scheduled to fly aerial imagery missions today for the state of Texas and the Federal Emergency Management Agency over the coastal areas first ravaged by Hurricane Harvey.

CAP aircrews will fly over Corpus Christi, North Padre Island, Mustang Island, Rockport, Aransas Pass, Port Lavaca, Gregory and Portland. The aircrews will depart San Marcos with a refueling stop in Alice, Texas, before taking photos of the affected areas.

A total of 12 CAP flights are planned today. Aircrews will continue flying through the day, as long as the weather permits, said Lt. Col. Rick Woolfolk, incident commander.

“Our aircrews are glad to finally be in the skies, providing a clearer picture of the situation for both state and federal emergency management officials,” Woolfolk said.

Also today, a Texas Wing aircrew flew U.S. Air Force Col. Tami Rougeau from George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport to Kelly Field Airport in San Antonio so she could begin operations as director of patient movement in the hurricane’s aftermath. The flight came at the request of Air Force Lt. Col. Gerard P. Guevara of the 601st Air Operations Command/Air Mobility Division.

Heavy rains accompanying Harvey have grounded CAP aircrews since the Category 4 hurricane made landfall Aug. 25.The state and FEMA will use the CAP imagery to assess damage to critical infrastructure and known resources.

About 1,000 of Texas Wing’s 3,200 members live along the Gulf Coast, from Brownsville to Houston, with the largest concentration in the Houston area. Houston and surrounding areas of south central Texas have been devastated since Monday, as unprecedented rainfall from Harvey, now classified as a tropical storm, has prompted historic flooding.

CAP planes were moved out of the coastal areas before Harvey made landfall.