Mission planning
Mission planning
(From left) Cadet 1st Lt. Isaac Vermillion of the Burlington Composite Squadron, mission staff assistant; Capt. Scott Stevens, air operations branch director and North Carolina Wing director of emergency services; 2nd Lt. Wendy Lesesne, a mission pilot from the Raleigh-Wake Composite Squadron; and Maj. Will Windham, Burlington Composite Squadron deputy commander, work through the flight planning process in order to begin flight operations after Tropical Storm Florence moved away from the North Carolina Wing mission base in Burlington.
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17
September
2018
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16:20 PM
America/Chicago

Vital N.C. Wing Flight Helps Restore Emergency 911 Service in Stricken City

Capt. Lynne Albert
Public Affairs Officer
North Carolina Wing

Photos by 1st Lt. H.J. Hazard, Charlotte Senior Squadron, North Carolina Wing
 

The North Carolina Wing conducted a vital communications flight late Sunday, enabling Jacksonville, North Carolina’s 911 system to come back online.

The CAP flight delivered critical parts to help restore the 911 emergency response system as Hurricane Florence continues to affect the area.

The CAP plane’s flight crew – Majs. Jeremy Browner and Andrew Vlack, members of the North Carolina Wing’s Raleigh-Wake Composite squadron – left Raleigh late Sunday evening and returned to Raleigh-Durham International Airport just before midnight.

After receiving the critical parts delivery, Steve Brewer, director of state government affairs at CenturyLink Inc., said, “We have the new card in the system, and services are appearing to come up. Our preliminary test calls have been successful. I'm in contact with Jacksonville E911, and they are starting test calls as well.

“None of this would be possible without the CAP. God bless all involved. Please pass along our appreciation.”

The flight was one of many CAP is making around the state transporting emergency response personnel and supplies into hard-hit areas. The North Carolina Wing is using its 18 planes and nearly 2,000 volunteer members to support reconnaissance flights and other emergency services missions for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the North Carolina Department of Emergency Management and other federal, state and local governments.

North Carolina Wing members are also:

  • Staffing the state Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh and the state Department of Emergency Management’s Regional Coordination Center-East in Kinston and Regional Coordination Center-Central in Butner;
     
  • Moving disaster relief supplies by both ground and air to the eastern part of the state at the Department of Emergency Management’s request; and
     
  • Deploying to PODs – Points of Distribution locations that provide emergency supplies to the public.

South Carolina Wing aircrews are also flying missions today. National Capital, Virginia and Maryland wings are also providing assistance as well, said Col. John Knowles, CAP Middle East Region commander and FEMA liaison officer to the National Response Coordination Center.

 

Monitoring duty
Monitoring duty
Maj. Brenden Kearns, North Carolina Wing Group 2 commander, monitors the status board at the wing mission base while planning ground operations for the response to Florence. As the storm dissipates, clearing skies in the eastern part of the state make ground operations possible.