Indeed, some of the most vivid news coverage during the early days of this tragedy showed helicopters busy hoisting survivors from rooftops and out of windows, as the floodwaters in many cases lapped literally at their heels. As this is written, those rescue operations are winding down; across the region, hard-hit communities are beginning the task of digging out from under mountains of rubble.
The news media showed us shocking images of highway bridges where the roadway had been swept away, leaving little more than some pilings jutting from the water. In Mobile, an oil-drilling rig was yanked from its moorings and came to rest beneath a suspension bridge. Throughout the region were "roads to nowhere" that briefly emerged from floodwaters, only to disappear again.
But general aviation aircraft don't need roads to help deliver relief supplies. Although virtually every airport in the affected area had sustained some damage, these facilities could be reopened to traffic quickly--on a limited basis, at least--as soon as the runways were cleared. We've seen this scenario many times before, following hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters across the country. Local GA airports, many unappreciated or ignored, become critically important after these calamities.
Disaster relief is just one of the many reasons that AOPA works so hard to protect airports. Every day, general aviation and local airports help people to lead better, safer, healthier, and more productive lives. AOPA's Airport Support Network has the ambitious goal of identifying one individual at every public-use airport in the United States to serve as the association's eyes and ears, informing us of potential threats to the airport so that we can help to address them before the airport suffers negative consequences (see "Member Services," p. 1).
To complement the Airport Support Network, AOPA has partnered with the Transportation Security Administration to develop a nationwide Airport Watch Program. Airport Watch uses the more than 650,000 pilots as eyes and ears for observing and reporting suspicious activity, helping to keep general aviation airports secure. AOPA's Airport Watch is supported by a centralized toll-free hotline (1-866-GA-SECURE) for general aviation pilots to report suspicious activity.
How have local airports allowed general aviation to assist in this time of crisis? Organizations such as Angel Flight America, the Air Care Alliance, and the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) immediately began coordinating and executing relief flights in the devastated region. In the days after the storm, they operated literally hundreds of flights each day.
Hundreds of CAP members have been flying damage assessment and search-and-rescue missions in the areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. In addition, CAP volunteers are delivering supplies to hurricane victims and providing emergency official transport. As the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, CAP has nearly 64 years of experience providing important search and rescue support for a wide variety of needs.
Angel Flight America used local airports primarily to evacuate people to safer locations. Angel Flight organizations also worked with the Office of Emergency Preparedness and other local law enforcement officials to supply shelters in the areas around Baton Rouge, and they're working directly with community officials in several towns in the region. Many flights are to smaller communities along the Gulf Coast that are still inaccessible to large-scale operations.
In one example, Angel Flight Georgia responded to a request from the local sheriff for relief supplies for Poplarville, Mississippi. Donated supplies were flown to an airport near Poplarville that had a serviceable runway but no other services. These life-saving missions are only possible because there is a network of local GA airports that can serve as landing facilities and staging areas for this coordinated disaster relief.
More information on the critical role of general aviation in the recovery from natural disasters can be found on the GA Serving America Web site. To learn more about GA's response to Hurricane Katrina, and for information on how you can help, see AOPA Online.
Be proud of general aviation and your local airport. Feel good in knowing that it is there, and be confident that AOPA and Airport Support Network volunteers are working to keep it there. Your membership helps to support our airport preservation efforts, so that these important facilities will be there to keep helping local communities--in times of crisis and every day.
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