So, Gulf Coast Wings...Hurricanes?

[Major Carrales]

Texas has gone on Alert for Hurricanes?  What preps are being done in your Gulf State?  This might be a good place to learn from one another.

[LtCol White]

LA has our aircrews on alert ready to move aircraft as needed as well as respond. As you can imagine, south LA is very leary of another storm especially one of Katrina strength as this one is building up to be. Hopefully for all it will go off into the lesser populated northern mexican coast

[Major Carrales]

LA has our aircrews on alert ready to move aircraft as needed as well as respond. As you can imagine, south LA is very leary of another storm especially one of Katrina strength as this one is building up to be. Hopefully for all it will go off into the lesser populated northern mexican coast

That would cause us some troble with rain.  Do you really think South LA might take another hit?  How can they ever really be ready being below sea level and all?

[LtCol White]

LA has our aircrews on alert ready to move aircraft as needed as well as respond. As you can imagine, south LA is very leary of another storm especially one of Katrina strength as this one is building up to be. Hopefully for all it will go off into the lesser populated northern mexican coast

That would cause us some troble with rain.  Do you really think South LA might take another hit?  How can they ever really be ready being below sea level and all?

Well, we are hoping the Upper High remains strong enough to deflect if from us. Living in New Orleans, I see daily how much is still unrepaired from Katrina. The destruction from the storm is now causing collateral infrastructure failures as a result of erosion from under the pavement.

The levees have been repaired but not at an increased strength as of yet. New pumps are in place and seem to be working well to deal with flooding if it should occur. Those 2 things have always been and will always be our major defense. Restoration of the wetlands to create a barrier from surge is the next major project that needs tremendous work. The other defense is faith and hope.

[isuhawkeye]

Iowa Emergency Management is already facilitating EMAC requests (State to state mutual aid). 

Iowa Wing stands ready if needed

[RogueLeader]

Iowa Emergency Management is already facilitating EMAC requests (State to state mutual aid). 

Iowa Wing stands ready if needed

Has the seoc been opened or the Wing activated? 

[isuhawkeye]

The states Readiness and response bureau is working with the potentially affected states.  No formal requests have been made. 

No the SEOC is not currently activated

No the wing has not been put on alert

[RogueLeader]

Roger.
Btw, would tell the folks at the next WTA, that I say Hi, and that I think that they are doing a great job for me?

[Major Carrales]

God bless us all...no matter where it hits.  Let's be ever vigilant et ready to lend our Brothers and Sisters Airmen in our porximate Wings assistance!

If it hits, and we do well, all the recent bad news will be moot!

[Skyray]

Sparky.

It looks like it is going to miss us in Miami completely, although the shutters are going up out of prudence.  Looks like you have about a 10% chance of fifty knot winds and south of Harlingen is going to get creamed.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/145024.shtml?50wind120#contents

[Major Carrales]

Sparky.

It looks like it is going to miss us in Miami completely, although the shutters are going up out of prudence.  Looks like you have about a 10% chance of fifty knot winds and south of Harlingen is going to get creamed.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/145024.shtml?50wind120#contents

I just got back from the Brownsville Staging Area of our Exercise...they are preparing for the worst.  They have even assigned ground teams to be on alert to go to airports after the fact.  There will be no regualr Tuesday meeting, instead they will "fortify" the building,

[RiverAux]

I always wanted to make a fort at squadron headquarters 

[SJFedor]

The alert order we recieved from NOC pretty much put SER, MER, and SWR on alert. They emailed out a nice little checklist and all.

Personally, I've got aircrews on a 48 hour recall, that time will go down as the scope becomes clearer. Ground teams we can sort out as it becomes more apparant as to what will be needed.


Besides, you guys in Texas have so many assets, I would be surprised if you required more then 1 or 2 wing's worth of assistance, unless it REALLY hits the fan.

Kind of interesting to look at the graphics on the NHC site. They have the center of the cone of probability buring into Mexico, well south of Brownsville/CC area. It looks like the extreme northern edge of the cone is right around the CC area.

Be safe down there, hope we don't have to see you.

[Skyray]

There was a problem here after Andrew that no one anticipated, and it caused a secondary problem that caused a trip to Florida for General Barry.  The first problem was that there were literally hundreds of ELTs activated as the storm destroyed their host airplanes.  Shutting them down was a logistical mess, and one of our cop wannabees decided to "confiscate" them.  Emergency conditions require unique solutions, sometimes outside the box, and I am not going to Monday morning quarterback that decision.  I am, however, going to criticize the way it was carried out.  When this little fandango was over, the wing found itself in possession of over a hundred ELTs with no clue where they came from: not even the airport, much less the aircraft.  My plea is that if this ever becomes necessary again, and it probably will, ground teams keep records of where you got the ELT.  If it has a serial number, and many ELTs don't, record the serial number along with the tail number of where you got it.  Otherwise, affix some kind of label to it with the tail number of the aircraft that it came from.

[ELTHunter]

In response to the NOC alert, I have asked all squadron CC's oe ES Officers to confirm numbers of GTM's and MP/MS/MO's that can deploy for 96 hours or more.  Also asked all to double check gear.

[LtCol White]

Looks like we all dodged one for now and it is predicted to only affect Mexico.

[Major Carrales]

I always wanted to make a fort at squadron headquarters 

Yes, imagine my shock when, after delivering some plywood and going to secure another item, I came back and it has been built up into a tree house. 

[Major Carrales]

Tornados are ususally what plagues that "more Northern part of the storm."  And that is something to brace for.

[Psicorp]

They can model and predict all they want to, but a Cat 3 or 4 hurricane once in the Gulf of Mexico is going to go wherever it wants to.  About 10 to 15 years ago a hurricane decided to hit the Gulf Coast, circled back out into the Gulf and hit land again.  At least you can see these behemoths coming, unlike most twisters.   

[LtCol White]

They can model and predict all they want to, but a Cat 3 or 4 hurricane once in the Gulf of Mexico is going to go wherever it wants to.  About 10 to 15 years ago a hurricane decided to hit the Gulf Coast, circled back out into the Gulf and hit land again.  At least you can see these behemoths coming, unlike most twisters.   

True in most cases. Not when there is a strong High pressure system in place. The storms which thrive on low pressure are repelled by the high. This is the reason for the westward and more southern track of Dean.

[jb512]

I'm not too educated on weather stuff...  So the high pressure northwest of the storm is keeping it south.  How likely is it that will change and send Dean back to the northwest?