,
11
September
2018
|
15:26 PM
America/Chicago

CAP Wings Ramp Up Preparations as Hurricane Florence Advances

As Hurricane Florence approaches the Mid-Atlantic Coast, the South Carolina Wing is assisting with evacuation efforts.

The first Civil Air Patrol aircrew began flying about 8 a.m. today over Interstate 26 in South Carolina to observe traffic flow along the evacuation route. The team is looking for any issues that could impede traffic flow — including stalled vehicles and accidents — and reporting that information back to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

Meanwhile, in Richmond, Virginia, members of CAP’s Virginia Wing are operating in “warning” alert status. This came just hours before Gov. Ralph Northam issued a mandatory evacuation notice for 245,000 residents living along the coast.

 

In Burlington, North Carolina, CAP members are also preparing for a statewide response to Florence. Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency and President Donald Trump issued a Presidential Disaster Declaration in anticipation of possible damage from the storm.

The wing has established an incident command post at its headquarters in Burlington. In addition, wing personnel began staffing the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh at 7 a.m. today and are expected to maintain a CAP presence there throughout the duration of the storm and subsequent disaster relief efforts. 

The affected wings are all relocating corporate airplanes and vehicles inland for safe storage throughout the storm. Each wing also is prepared to provide aerial and ground team damage assessments as tasked by local, state and federal authorities.