Pilots from Alpha Co., 2-227th Aviation Regiment provided air transportation for the USACE and other government agencies to survey damage and reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Ike Sept. 23 in Galveston, Texas.
Hurricane Ike struck ground on Sept. 13, 2008, causing 16,000 families in the Galveston and greater Houston area to evacuate their homes. Scholes International Airport, where Alpha Company based their aerial operations, was eight feet underwater immediately following Ike.
Forty three passengers were carried in four UH-60 Blackhawks to recon the rehabilitation efforts in the city of Galveston, Bolivar, and greater Houston area.
This flight was the first survey of its kind following Hurricane Ike. It provided the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), USACE and local officials an aerial view of the impacted areas.
The overview of Galveston Island and the Houston area lasted two hours. Each aircraft had a narrator from FEMA to discuss the damage and restoration projects.
It demonstrated the precautions that FEMA and the USACE are taking to ensure that important industrial areas and surrounding communities receive minimal damage following a natural disaster.
The aerial tour displayed not only the incredible damage that a hurricane can cause on a coastal city, but the resiliency of the Texas community to rebuild thousands of destroyed houses and businesses.