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GA volunteer groups begin flying relief
Many of the volunteer aviation groups and individual pilots have already started flying relief missions for the victims of Hurricane Katrina - and their rescuers.
Here are just a few examples:
Sarah Riehm, executive director of Angel Flight South Central, is establishing a shuttle service, using Angel Flight pilots and operating out of Baton Rouge, to evacuate high-risk people to Texas. Jerry Dorr'e, Angel Flight South Central's national homeland security emergency air transportation system emergency transportation coordinator, is setting up operations at Louis B. Armstrong airport in New Orleans.
AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer David Parrish at Bowman Field (LOU) in Louisville, Kentucky, is recruiting area pilots to work with Vacation Rentals for Families.com, which is finding people willing to open their vacation homes for use by Katrina evacuees.
The group is also directly coordinating aircraft owners willing to provide free relief airlift flights for affected families, from airfields close to the damaged areas in Louisiana and Mississippi, to relocate victim families to the donated homes. Check its Web site to volunteer.
Since Tuesday, CAP members have been flying aerial damage-assessment missions in Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama, in southern Mississippi, and in New Orleans. CAP volunteers also have been transporting critical supplies to local, state, and federal emergency management personnel.
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is seeking new volunteers to participate in both aviation and surface operations.
And the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), have activated the national emergency resource registry. You can list any resource there, including you and your airplane, which could be made available to the Katrina response agencies.
Here are a few of the other organizations that we know are attempting to organize and fly general aviation missions to help in the evacuation and recovery:
- Angel Flight of Georgia
- Mercy MedFlight of Texas
- Angel Flight of Oklahoma
- LifeLine Pilots
- Miracle Flights for Kids
Contact any of the above listed organizations to see if they can use your services.
Updated: September 2, 2005, 12:45 p.m. EDT
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