Tornadoes in Kansas

[FARRIER]

http://cbs3.com/topstories/local_story_126082437.html

For anybody in the Kansas Wing, has there been any CAP involvement yet?

[1LtNurseOfficer]

Reports and updates from our IC...

1st Report:
Alerted by KDEM @ 0455 hrs to mobilize CAP aircraft for DSAR flights from Greensburg, KS in Kiowa County up to Ellsworth, KS. Tornado went through Greensburg at 2200 hrs last night, and there have been no communications with 3 counties in the area. F5 tornado had a path of ½ to 2 miles wide of damage. Only aware so far that Greensburg sustained 75% damage, the hospital collapsed, and there have been some deaths reported. I was advised a Presidential declaration is being requested soon. 20 KSNG units deployed so far.

Notified NOC, Norm Gunther, at 0505 hrs of situation. Then I had KDEM Adjutant General notify AFRCC of situation, and for the request for CAP SAR assistance. Opened AFRCC Mission # 07M0689 @ 1059Z. State Director, Rich Almeida, already present in Salina.

Wx 0728 hrs 71°, Heat index 71°, winds SSE @ 25 mph & gusts to 32 mph, humidity 81%, dew point 64°, visibility 9 miles.

About 0800 hrs received reports of severe damage near Great Bend, and near Phillipsburg, KS. State EOC in Topeka rec´d reports of numerous other unconfirmed tornadoes north of Greensburg. We are to fly DSAR along tornado paths, with a search width path of 40 miles along each route. Aircrews will report areas of severe damage to direct in ground SAR teams, send digital photos of damage in to the state EOC to assess SAR situation, and call in immediate requests for emergency medical assistance to the EOC to bring in air and ground ambulances. About 0900 received reports of at least 2-3 more communities with severe damage and unknown casualties.

Severe TS Watch in effect already for affected areas. Assigned a Severe Wx Coordinator as part of Planning Section to monitor Wx across western KS, and aircrews and GTs advised to constantly monitor Wx channels, etc.

CPF 1492 flying from Wichita to Greensburg area. YB 220 providing communications relay support. CPF 1496 flying from Salina to Hays, and then to Phillipsburg. CPF 1495 flying from KC to Salina Staging Area (SA), and then will provide High Bird communications support in the Great Bend area. CPF 1499 flying from Manhattan to Ellsworth, and
south to Sitka.

A GT will also be assigned to assist comm relay support for CPF 1499 and CPF 1496 if needed. Lack of communications contact was a problem in the Jan 1 storm, and I wanted to avoid delays in relaying comm requests for emergency assistance. 1 GT requested to check airports in Greensburg area for possible damage, and to see how safe it is for aircraft to land in an emergency if needed.

LtCol Ronald Williams = AOBD
LtCol Dominick Italiano = GOBD
Col Jerome Hansen = Deputy PSC/LO
Maj Dennis Pearson = IC/AL
Col Bernard King = Deputy IC/MSO
Capt David Deucher = Deputy COML
Maj Jerrol Bahner = Deputy MSO
Col Timothy Hansen = LSC/FASC/GTL

KS State EOC Operations Chief = Dan Hay; [Redacted]; sending photos and e-mails to: [Redacted]
Adjutant General POC = General Ed Flora
Aviation Coordinator = Col Peck (Chief of Staff) for CAP, KSNG, & KHP.

Aircrews are to maintain contact with KHP and KSNG on freq [Redacted] when they enter assigned search areas, and announce in the blind their call signs, location, and intended flight pattern/search. So far KHP has 1-2 aircraft in the air, and KSNG has 1 helicopter in the air.

Other aircrew members, GTs, MROs, and Mission Base Staff are instructed to mobilize to the Staging Area at KSWG HQ to provide relief for current members responding on the DSAR so far.

@1142L LtCol Italiano received request for GTs to assist with evacuations in Greensburg which I was told was wiped out. NOC and AFRCC notified of this additional tasking. Will continue under current AFRCC mission number evacuations.

We got slammed again last night.  The storms followed the same path (for the most part) as the previous night.  Unfortunately, we won't be able to go out today (and maybe tomorrow) due to 24/7 storms.

Update from IC as of 0500 this AM...

Wx:  Svr TS continue today with rain most of the day. Salina got 6" of rain in 1 hour after MN.  Flash flooding now the major problem.  Because of the svr Wx I doubt we'll get called back to assist today or Monday.  Won't be able to fly.
 
DSAR mission yesterday started at 0455 hrs, and was suspended for the day at 2237 hrs = 17 hrs 42 minutes.
92 tornadoes in KS yesterday.  More than 24 occurred again in the same area we had our sorties in.
9 Fatalities so far, 20 still missing, 102 people remain hospitalized.
Our sorties managed to redirect emergency responders to those areas where help was needed.
We were called in to assist with evacuations, but weren't needed once GTs arrived, due to more KSNG resources able to move in and assume more control and support.
Flew 9 sorties for 19.7 hrs until svr Wx moved back in.
GTs had 11 sorties.
41 Officers and 6 cadets mobilized.
12 Members spent the night at KSWG HQ in case they were needed in the AM.  3 Squadrons were on alert for possible mobilization this AM.
CPF 1495 wouldn't be able to fly today because it's due for oil change.

And we are due for more weather over the next day or so.  But I think it will be moving to the east (and hitting my city).  We'll just have to wait and see.

Redacted contact information - MIKE

[FARRIER]

And we are due for more weather over the next day or so.  But I think it will be moving to the east (and hitting my city).  We'll just have to wait and see.

Good luck.

[RiverAux]

You might want to take the phone numbers and radio frequencies out of the quoted email. 

[SarDragon]

I agree on the phone number(s), but the freq is not a CAP assigned freq.

[1LtNurseOfficer]

I agree on the phone number(s), but the freq is not a CAP assigned freq.

My apologies.  I completely overlooked that.  That's what a sleep-deprived 3rd-shift mind will do to you      Thank you to 'Mike' for making the edit.

[RiverAux]

I agree on the phone number(s), but the freq is not a CAP assigned freq.

It is a radio frequency being used by CAP and at least under my interpretation covered by FOUO. 

[FARRIER]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/13272406/detail.html

http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=27540

The news clips may of interest. Mainly pertain to National Urban SAR Teams

[SarDragon]

I agree on the phone number(s), but the freq is not a CAP assigned freq.

It is a radio frequency being used by CAP and at least under my interpretation covered by FOUO. 

Got a ref for that?

CAP uses a lot of Air Band freqs in their day to day operations, but they all belong to FCC/FAA, and none of them are assigned specifically to CAP, unlike the VHF-FM freqs.

[Tim Medeiros]

anything happen near the east and southeast part of the state?  I have a couple of friends in that area

[1LtNurseOfficer]

anything happen near the east and southeast part of the state?  I have a couple of friends in that area

Both storms went up through Protection, Greensburg area, and Great Bend (give or take a few nautical miles).  East and southeast has just gotten rain (I think)

[Johnny Yuma]

Extensive flooding all along the Kansas River basin to Kansas City. Missouri River's also flooding, some levees are failing.

Towns of wakarusa, rossville and Grantville saw evacuations but most back home cleaning up. Topeka saw 300 homes flooded along Shunganunga creek and about 500 water rescues in a matter of hours on Monday. City of Burlingame surrounded by flood waters for about 36 hours, entire town unable to leave city limits.

More flooding in Central Kansas between Abilene and Salina, that appears to be worse than what the NE end got.
Wakarusa was evacuated again today for a hazardous material leak. Unknown if related to storm.

CAP aircrews are still working both tornado and flood damaged areas, taking photos on request of MG Bunting, KS Adjutant general.

Biggest threat right now is flooding. Any more rain we get will end up as drainage as everyting's saturated right now.

[RiverAux]

I agree on the phone number(s), but the freq is not a CAP assigned freq.

It is a radio frequency being used by CAP and at least under my interpretation covered by FOUO. 

Got a ref for that?

CAP uses a lot of Air Band freqs in their day to day operations, but they all belong to FCC/FAA, and none of them are assigned specifically to CAP, unlike the VHF-FM freqs.

I do not know my comm regs that well, but I consider any frequency upon which CAP is talking to the National Guard and state police to be something that I am not going to post on the internet. 

[sardak]

Digital Globe provided Google Earth with hi-res photos of Greensburg pre- and post-tornado.  The difference is stunning.  This link opens overlays so that the original lo-res Google imagery, hi-res before and after photos can be toggled on and off.  This link and overlays were created by GoogleEarth, not me.

http://mw1.google.com/mw-earth-vectordb/or/greensburg_tornado.kml

Mike