The U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs is coordinating the Department of Defense’s relief efforts in ravaged Louisiana and Texas following Hurricane Ike’s landfall.
The command is the joint command formed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to provide homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities.
The command is providing FEMA high water vehicles, small boats, and helicopters and aircraft in search and rescue operations. In addition, the Colorado Springs command is providing emergency preparedness liaison officers to assist.
As well as helping FEMA, the command is also coordinating the Department of Defense’s support to state and local agencies responding to the disaster.
Four military installations – Lackland Air Force, Randolph Air Force Base and Fort Hood, all in Texas, and Fort Polk, La. – have been designated as “base support installations,” where military units are conducting logistical operations.
The Department of Defense has designated Randolph and Fort Sam Houston, Texas as FEMA National Logistics Staging Areas to support forward distribution of supplies and equipment.
The 331st Air Expeditionary Group at Randolph has 42 search and rescue aircraft to assist FEMA with search and rescue.
The U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs has also established on its Web site Aidmatrix, which provides people access to technology that connects donors with relief organizations. Aidmatrix is a nonprofit organization which is FEMA sponsored and funded.
More than 35,000 corporations, nonprofits, and government partners use Aidmatrix to mobilize aid in areas of hunger, medical and disaster.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
