Planes, response team evacuated to Little Rock AFB

Published Aug. 26, 2011
By 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- Aircraft and rapid response team members from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., evacuated to Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., Aug. 27 as a precautionary measure to assure the planes are not damaged and that the response team is prepared to act after the landfall of Hurricane Irene.

The hurricane weakened slightly today, dropping down to a Category two storm. But some re-strengthening was possible and the storm was expected to be near the threshold between a Category two and three storm as it reached North Carolina's coast, a National Hurricane Center official said.

One of the four C-17 Globemaster III's from the 305th Air Mobility Wing transported their crew on base along with members of the 621st Contingency Response Wing. The other three planes are scheduled to arrive later in the evening.

The 621st CRW is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain and coordinate air mobility operations.

"We're pleased to be involved with our installation partners in the hurricane preparedness efforts," said Colonel Chris Patterson, 621st CRW commander. "Our people are well-equipped and trained for these types of situations. Because of that, when called upon, we have the capabilities to deliver assistance to areas that need it most."

Previous deployments for the CRW include humanitarian assistance support missions to Haiti, Pakistan and Japan, and contingency deployments in support of military operations in Eastern Europe, Afghanistan and South America.