By Cade Fowler - bio | email
September 4, 2008
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - While Hanna, Ike, and Josephine churn in the Atlantic, the Albany wing of the Civil Air Patrol is prepared for what could happen if those storms make landfall nearby.
"We've been on alert since Gustav. Right now we have about 90 people and 15 aircrafts on standby," Lt. Col Lynn McCracken with the Civil Air Patrol.
From the air, McCracken witnessed the devastation in Louisiana in the days that followed Hurricane Katrina. It was the images of widespread destruction that's forever engrained in his memory - a reminder of what could happen much closer to home.
"I know if something like that comes in there, there's going to be a lot of damage and a lot of suffering," he says.
While it appears Hanna will not make landfall along the Georgia coast, C-A-P volunteers are well aware of the task that lies ahead of them if it does.
"Our prime focus is on damage assessment and we'll also furnish them supplies. We'll airlift blood and medicine and things like that. But what we're mainly called in to do is get airborne photos and give them a real time picture of what is damaged," says McCracken.
And while hope remains it won't come to do those measures, the volunteers stand ready to step in if and when they're called upon to do so.
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