- The Civil Air Patrol(CAP) volunteers prepare to trace over the area impacted by last weeks tornado. The imagery captured by CAP will be used by FEMA to disperse recovery relief.
- CAP is a non-profit organization that provides emergency and operational missions on demand for federal government.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A volunteer force is coming to help this time from the air.
"We're going to be going up and passing over the damaged tracks form the tornadoes," said Colonel Jonathan Lartigue.
Colonel Jonathan Lartigue with the Iowa Branch of the Civil Air Patrol says, the non-profit CAP works with FEMA and other government agencies.
"Today the value we are going to provide…is getting the damage assessment imagery to these agencies,"
The photos taken on this mission will determine how much recovery relief is dispersed to impacted communities based on the damage caused.
Colonel Lartigue says giving back to his community is important.
"Through our volunteer service we can make things a little bit better…and help get them a little but more help… a little bit faster," said Colonel Lartigue.
This is day two of three days on this mission across Iowa and parts of Nebraska. In total, the volunteers will spend six to ten hours in the air.
Major Robert Green and former mayor of Cedar Falls, Iowa has been a volunteer for a bit of three years.
"Service is the pay check for you living here on earth… I was a coast guard officer for 10 years..and when I got out of the service.. I really wanted some way to give back to the community," said Major Green.
Major Green says one of his favorite parts.
"Being able to part of what's happening with the national guard with he emergency management agency…you stay very connected in civil air patrol to what's going on else where in the state," said Major Green.
