Civil Air Patrol gets ready for hurricanes

The Louisiana Wing Civil Air Patrol (CAP) members are preparing for the hurricane season that began on June 1.

Should a hurricane strike the gulf coast, the U.S. Air Force could task non-combat missions to CAP in its role as the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, to possibly include airborne reconnaissance and imagery, disaster and damage assessment, airborne transportation of essential personnel, equipment and critical supplies, 24-7 communications support and ground operations. 

When functioning as the U.S. Air Force auxiliary, CAP can provide support to any department or agency in any branch of the federal government.

Louisiana Wing has over 500 members, assigned to 14 squadrons that are located in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Bossier City, Gonzales, Hammond, Jennings, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans, Patterson and Shreveport.  

Louisiana Wing Commander, Col. Art Scarbrough said, "I am confident our volunteers are ready to meet the challenge of a hurricane disaster."

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a non-profit organization with 58,000 members nationwide.

CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 72 lives in fiscal year 2009.

Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counter-drug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.

The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 23,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs.

CAP has been performing missions for America for 68 years.
For more information about CAP, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com.