Missouri Civil Air Patrol brings high-tech edge to flood fight

'Full-motion video' equipped aircraft assists in water rescue on Missouri River

KANSAS CITY, MO - Innovative technology is allowing the Missouri Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, to provide real-time full-motion video surveillance capability in the ongoing fight against the flooding Missouri River.

As part of a joint $2.5 million program with the U.S. Air Force's Air Combat Command, a modified Cessna 182 singe-engine aircraft utilizing an unmanned aerial vehicle's sensor ball mounted under its left wing provides high-resolution imagery and the ability to lock on and track targets.

Initially envisioned to help train soldiers and airmen for combat operations overseas, these full-motion video equipped aircraft have proven effective in other missions such as search and rescue and disaster relief - including the search for a missing aircraft in the Grand Canyon National Park earlier this year.

Currently, the aircraft is flying in support of continued operations by the Missouri Wing to provide daily aerial photo reconnaissance of levees and critical infrastructure along the flooded Missouri River from the Iowa border to Kansas City and on towards Booneville, Mo., as tasked by FEMA, the Missouri National Guard, and the State Emergency Management Agency.

Analysis of the real-time video, as well as other digital photographs, has allowed these agencies to respond immediately to newly discovered levee sand boils, scourings, overtoppings, and breaches - often retasking aircraft while still in flight.

And this is exactly what happened earlier this week when a full-motion video aircrew spotted a boat in trouble on the Missouri River.

While flying over a vast flooded area of the river, the aircrew noted a fast moving airboat slow and then stop with smoking coming from its engine. The personnel onboard were observed donning life preservers, and the aircrew concluded that the boat and crew were in distress since they did not seem to be able to restart their engine and were drifting uncontrolled downstream. The position and time were immediately relayed to mission base.

While local authorities were being contacted, the aircraft remained overhead monitoring the situation until low fuel forced them to return to base. With help from the local sheriff's department, the Missouri Water Patrol quickly brought the stricken boat safely to the bank and rescued all on board.

"This is an outstanding example of how joint operations between several different agencies cooperatively can get the mission accomplished," said Lt. Col. Dennis Pearson, Missouri Wing incident commander. "Only through such cooperation will we continue the effective fight against the ongoing extensive flooding."

Missouri River Surveillance
CAP aircrews from the Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska Wings are providing daily aerial photo reconnaissance of the extensive flooding of the Missouri River (weather permitting) from the Iowa border to near Jefferson City in the center of the state; including continued close attention to the rising flood waters around Rosecrans Air National Guard Base near St. Joseph, Missouri.

To date aircrews have flown a total of 67 sorties, comprising almost 120 flight-hours, and have taken over 2,400 digital photographs. Mission base for aircraft and crews continues to be Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Mo.

Specific taskings include aerial reconnaissance of:
- Flood progression of the Missouri River and its tributaries
- Condition of levees including overtoppings, breaches, seepage, and sand boils
- Accessibility of roads and bridges
- Community impact assessment
- Status of specific dams, power plants, water treatment facilities and other critical infrastructure
- Status of the Rosecrans Air National Guard Base near St. Joseph, Mo.
- Reporting of other anomalies or visible sheen on the water

"During this unprecedented season of natural disasters, our members continue to overcome all challenges to get the mission accomplished," said Col. Erica Williams, Missouri Wing commander. "We are especially indebted to those members of the Kansas and Nebraska Wings who continue to assist with our flood flights along the Missouri River."

The Missouri Wing is composed of over 1,000 members organized in over forty units located throughout the state. Formal disaster relief and search and rescue training exercises are held on a regular basis several times each year.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 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 113 lives in fiscal year 2010. 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 26,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs.

Civil Air Patrol has been performing missions for America for over 69 years.

To learn more about the Civil Air Patrol, visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com (CAP National Headquarters' website), or www.mowg.cap.gov (Missouri Wing website).

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Media Inquiries
Lt. Col. David A. Miller, CAP
Public Information Officer
314-623-0831 Cellular
314-543-5943 Office
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pao@mowg.cap.gov