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Gulf of Mexico oil leak response boosted by supplies flown in by Air Force
By Paul Purpura, The Times-Picayune
May 11, 2010, 6:14PM
Susan Poag/The Times-PicayuneOil boom, floats and skimmer boats from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, were delivered Tuesday to Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse in an Air Force C-17 cargo plane.
In a scene reminicent of five years ago when Hurricane Katrina hit the region, the U.S. Air Force returned to the Gulf Coast region on Tuesday to bring much needed supplies to battle the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
Air Force air crews began transporting more than 28 miles of containment boom and skimming equipment from Alaska in the first of 10 flights going to the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse. There, sailors operating fork lifts are loading boom onto flatbed tractor-trailers driven by civilian contractors who deliver it to coastal areas.
"It's a quick offload and a quick transport to get it down there," said Capt. Bill Snyder, the air station's commanding officer. "This is a national asset. We're able to expand our operations to handle a wide range of contingencies, whether it is in support of the New Orleans region or a wider region."
Three C-17 Globemaster III transport planes from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska arrived Tuesday, carrying about 211,000 pounds of oil-fighting gear, Elmendorf spokesman Master Sgt. Brian Jones said. The 517th and 249th Airlift Squadrons expect to deliver almost 500,000 pounds of boom and other equipment in additional flights from Alaska.
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By Paul Purpura, The Times-Picayune
May 11, 2010, 6:14PM
Susan Poag/The Times-PicayuneOil boom, floats and skimmer boats from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, were delivered Tuesday to Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse in an Air Force C-17 cargo plane. In a scene reminicent of five years ago when Hurricane Katrina hit the region, the U.S. Air Force returned to the Gulf Coast region on Tuesday to bring much needed supplies to battle the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
Air Force air crews began transporting more than 28 miles of containment boom and skimming equipment from Alaska in the first of 10 flights going to the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse. There, sailors operating fork lifts are loading boom onto flatbed tractor-trailers driven by civilian contractors who deliver it to coastal areas.
"It's a quick offload and a quick transport to get it down there," said Capt. Bill Snyder, the air station's commanding officer. "This is a national asset. We're able to expand our operations to handle a wide range of contingencies, whether it is in support of the New Orleans region or a wider region."
Three C-17 Globemaster III transport planes from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska arrived Tuesday, carrying about 211,000 pounds of oil-fighting gear, Elmendorf spokesman Master Sgt. Brian Jones said. The 517th and 249th Airlift Squadrons expect to deliver almost 500,000 pounds of boom and other equipment in additional flights from Alaska.
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