Conn. Wing Provides Tornado Damage Photos

Lt. Col. Andrew Liput
Public Affairs Officer
Connecticut Wing

Connecticut Wing members took to the air to provide more than 300 damage assessment photos at state agencies’ request after a tornado struck parts of the state Aug. 27.

Two aircrews from Groton and Oxford made three damage assessment flights the following day, capturing images of downed trees, residential damage and the tornado’s path. They were supporting ground teams from the National Weather Service and the state Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security.

Afterward, the aircrew members prepared and delivered a damage assessment report for the state agency and the Connecticut National Guard. It was presented to Gov. Ned Lamont’s office.

A Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security spokesman praised the Connecticut Wing for providing “highly valuable and critical service to the state,” adding that the photos “helped to confirm a long-track tornado in New Haven County."

Noting the wing’s partnership with the Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security, the National Guard and others Col. James A. Ridley Sr., wing commander, said, “I am extremely proud of the fact that when called upon we have never let them down and always provide the professional service they have come to rely on.”

Earlier this month, aircrews carried out a similar mission in the wake of Tropical Storm Isaias.

Photos by Cadet 1st Lt. Ryan T. Peers, Stratford Eagles Component Squadron