Civil Air Patrol Illinois Wing To Help Survey Damage From Hurricane Harvey
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two crews from the Civil Air Patrol Illinois Wing were headed to the Houston area to help identify neighborhoods that need the most help with recovery efforts.
Capt. Dave Hooper and two other men left from Lake in the Hills on Friday, and will stay in the Houston area for up to two weeks. Another crew was leaving Saturday from Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling.
"The importance is to take aerial photographs of the disaster area. Those photographs will be uploaded to FEMA and National Weather Service via the Texas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol," Hooper said.
The photos will include the latitude and longitude of each image, to help map where the worst damage is, so resources can be allocated where they are most needed.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Illinois Wing of the Civil Air Patrol performed similar work along the Eastern Seaboard.
The Civil Air Patrol is the longtime all-volunteer auxiliary of the Air Force, which supplies the planes. The patrol operates 560 aircraft, and 90 percent of the fleet performs search-and-rescue missions.
