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AMC supporting Hurricane Gustav evacuation efforts in Louisiana, Texas

  • Published
  • By Mark Diamond
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  In support of Hurricane Gustav humanitarian relief efforts, Air Mobility Command Aug. 29 began positioning emergency personnel, equipment and aircraft at various locations along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Command and control and coordination of the humanitarian airlift effort is provided by the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott AFB. The 618th TACC is the Air Mobility Command hub for planning and directing tanker and transport aircraft operations around the world. The 618th TACC coordinates an average of 900 airlift and air refueling missions each day, and can seamlessly redirect these missions to support emerging requirements for contingency or humanitarian relief operations.

On Aug. 29 and 30, AMC aircraft - primarily C-130s, C-17s and C-5s - began delivering aeromedical evacuation teams, medical equipment and Contingency Response elements into Louisiana and Texas to assist in evacuation efforts in those states. Evacuations begin as early on Aug. 30.

Contingency Response elements are used to open and operate temporary remote bases, and AE aeromedical evacuation teams provide in-flight, immediate, on-scene emergency medical care from the disaster area until established medical facilities are reached.

AMC personnel on Aug. 29 were also planning for the use of commercial aircraft carriers to support the evacuation up to 20,000 members of the general population, based on requirements from U.S. Northern Command and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

AMC's mission is to deliver maximum war-fighting and humanitarian effects for America through rapid and precise global air mobility. The command also plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian support at home and around the world.

According to the 618th TACC commander, Maj. Gen. Mark S. Solo, as soon as a hurricane is identified as having potential to strike the United States, the 618th TACC begins posturing mobility forces to be able to respond to various relief scenarios.

Humanitarian operations are a major significant emphasis for the 618th TACC. In fact, General Solo said, "the 618th TACC has a long history of preparing for and assisting civilian authorities following a natural disaster."

During Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the 618th TACC tasked nearly 900 sorties to support relief efforts, and mobility forces moved more than 14,600 passengers, nearly 3,000 patients, and hauled the equivalent of 686 semi-truckloads of supplies to and from the Gulf Coast region.

After setting up the contingency response cell during Hurricane Katrina, TACC Airmen rapidly turned requirements into missions for humanitarian airlift assistance to people on the Gulf Coast. Within the first 24 hours of Katrina's landfall, the TACC aggressively moved search-and-rescue teams and their equipment to Louisiana, and then quickly shifted focus to a hub-and-spoke operation to bring in supplies and rescue patients. Contingency Response Group elements from the 615th Contingency Response Wing at Travis AFB, Calif., and the 621st CRW at McGuire AFB, N.J., deployed to the Gulf Coast region to establish airfield operations in support of the massive hurricane relief effort.