Recently, Major Mark Wilkinson, a member of Utah's Civil Air Patrol (CAP), returned from Fargo, North Dakota where he relieved local aircrews working alongside FEMA to provide aid during North Dakota's severe flooding.
Maj. Wilkinson is one of Civil Air Patrol's few ARCHER operators, and his skills were needed. ARCHER is CAP highest resolution camera system. "Running the ARCHER system requires in-depth training that few CAP members posses," Maj. Wilkinson stated.
Maj. Wilkinson is an aerospace engineer who works at USU's Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah. Maj Wilkinson said that his employer is very understanding of his volunteer commitment. "CAP members often drop everything to aid in disasters," he said, "but after a few days, their employers grow impatient. Normally neighboring states backfill the gap, but when you have a large disaster like Katrina or when you need specific skills like ARCHER, it becomes a nationwide effort. That's why I was brought in."
Maj Wilkinson flew several missions during his week-long stay. "There is an amazing amount of water on the ground. I can't believe how well the people in North Dakota are coping with it. During the day, we were in the air imaging dams, reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and towns. At night, we'd process and package up the imagery in a format that FEMA used."
On March 14, President Barak Obama declared the situation in North Dakota to be an emergency, authorizing federal funding and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts. CAP was among the resources FEMA called upon.
"From what some of the locals told me," Maj. Wilkinson said, "the amount of water wasn't much less than last year, when they experienced much more damage, but much of the infrastructure was already in place. They were ready this time, and I was happy to help."
"From what some of the locals told me," Maj. Wilkinson said, "the amount of water wasn't much less than last year, when they experienced much more damage, but much of the infrastructure was already in place. They were ready this time, and I was happy to help."
Photo 1 Caption: While the flooding is being well managed, the amount of water across North Dakota is apparent in this photo taken from a Civil Air Patrol plane south of Fargo. (photo credit: Maj. Wilkinson, Civil Air Patrol)
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