1st Air Force ready to provide command, control, for Hurricane Wilma relief

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  • 1st Air Force Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  If America’s military is asked to provide resources for Hurricane Wilma relief efforts, the 1st Air Force here is ready to respond.

Just weeks ago, the organization established the 1st Aerospace Expeditionary Task Force-Katrina Operation and was the Air Force unit designated to perform command and control for assets supporting air operations after the hurricane slammed into the Gulf Coast. It then sustained its operations and established the 1st AETF-Rita Operations, providing support for areas hit by that hurricane.

“If we get the call, we’re well-prepared and ready to respond,” said Maj. Gen. M. Scott Mayes, 1st AF commander. “We’re committed to saving lives -- and supporting those who save lives -- as well as relieving suffering and mitigating extensive damage.”

According to General Mayes, areas the Air Force can help the most include reconnaissance to support damage assessment, search and rescue, air mobility, logistical support, medical support, and communications.

Just weeks ago, the organization established the 1st Aerospace Expeditionary Task Force-Katrina Operation and was the Air Force unit designated to perform command and control for assets supporting air operations after the hurricane slammed into the Gulf Coast. It then sustained its operations and established the 1st AETF-Rita Operations, providing support for areas hit by that hurricane.

During the Katrina relief operations, air expeditionary groups were set-up at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, La.; Alexandria, La.; Keesler AFB, Miss.; Jackson, Miss.; and Maxwell AFB, Ala. The AEGs supported forward-deployed Airmen on the periphery of the disaster area.

In preparation for Hurricane Wilma, the Air Force has already sent Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officers to several state and federal locations. EPLOs facilitate military support to civil authority requests for interagency disaster response elements, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State Emergency Operations Centers.

“EPLOs provide the face of the Air Force to FEMA and the State Emergency Operation Centers,” said Col. Jeff Theuen, an EPLO deployed here from Iowa. “EPLOs are at every step of the process -- from conception to execution -- providing Air Force support to civil authorities at every level, including local, county, state and national. EPLOs arrive sooner and faster than anyone else.”

Additionally, 1st AF has pre-positioned an Air Component Coordination Element at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to support 5th Army in the event a Joint Task Force is established.

“America’s Air Force stands ready to answer the call for emergency assistance in this potential crisis,” General Mayes said. Our total force -- active, Air Guard and Air Force Reserve units -- using a mix of air support, transportable hospitals, logistics and vital services, are superbly trained and well equipped to respond to the nation’s call to help for as long as we are needed.”