Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      A special missions aviator from the 41st Rescue Squadron, watches as he raises an evacuee, Aug. 30, 2017, over a residence in the Houston, Texas area.AFNORTH wraps up Hurricane Harvey ops, looks East to Irma
                        
                        
                        A special missions aviator from the 41st Rescue Squadron watches as he raises an evacuee, Aug. 30, 2017, over a residence in the Houston area. The 347th Rescue Group from Moody Air Force Base, Ga. responded with its aircraft and personnel in support of Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Harvey brought flooding and destruction to parts of Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Zachary Wolf)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        A pararescueman from the 58th Rescue Squadron prepares his gear for a rescue mission, Aug. 30, 2017, at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center in Orange, Texas.AFNORTH wraps up Hurricane Harvey ops, looks East to Irma
                        
                        
                        A pararescueman from the 58th Rescue Squadron prepares his gear for a rescue mission, Aug. 30, 2017, at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center in Orange, Texas. The 347th and 563rd Rescue Groups from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Nellis AFB, Nev., and Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., sent rescue boat teams to Orange County, Texas, and the surrounding areas, in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during Hurricane Harvey disaster response efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Ryan Callaghan)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Airmen and Soldiers assist victims out of a UH-60 Black Hawk, Aug. 30, 2017, at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center in Orange, Texas.AFNORTH wraps up Hurricane Harvey ops, looks East to Irma
                        
                        
                        Airmen and Soldiers assist victims out of a UH-60 Black Hawk, Aug. 30, 2017, at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center in Orange, Texas. The 347th and 563rd Rescue Groups from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Nellis AFB, Nev., and Davis Monthan AFB, Ariz., sent rescue boat teams to Orange County, Texas, and the surrounding areas, in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during Hurricane Harvey disaster response efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Ryan Callaghan)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        Rescue teams from the 920th Rescue Wing, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, rescue stranded victims trapped by flooding from Hurricane Harvey Aug. 31, 2017 in Beaumont, Texas. The 920th RQW deployed roughly 90 Citizen Airmen, three Pave Hawks and two HC-130Ns in support of Air Force Northern’s search and rescue mission for FEMA disaster relief efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Lindsey Maurice)AFNORTH wraps up Hurricane Harvey ops, looks East to Irma
                        
                        
                        Rescue teams, from the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., rescue stranded victims trapped by flooding from Hurricane Harvey, Aug. 31, 2017, in Beaumont, Texas. The 920th RQW deployed roughly 90 citizen Airmen, three HH-60 Pave Hawks and two HC-130Ns in support of Air Force Northern’s search and rescue mission for Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster response efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Lindsey Maurice)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

AFNORTH wraps up Hurricane Harvey ops, looks East to IrmaPublished Sept. 5, 2017
                    
                    By Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson
                    
                    
                    Air Forces Northern Public Affairs
            **TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --**As Hurricane Harvey slammed into coastal Texas the last week of August, Houston and the surrounding area were pounded with unprecedented amounts of rain – experiencing 50 inches of rain in a matter of days. That is more than the annual average for the region.
Flash flooding decimated the region, putting extreme stress on local and state resources available to provide relief and rescue efforts to the Texans who needed it.
Within days, the state government requested the aid of Defense Department resources through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In response, Air Forces Northern stood up a crisis action team to direct aerial operations of federal military assets supporting the relief effort for the tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes.
“I am proud of this outstanding team of professionals who carried out a critical mission, especially our search and rescue effort, in the wake of this catastrophic storm,” said Lt. Gen. R. Scott Williams, the AFNORTH commander. “This was a total force effort to support our federal, state and interagency partners as we collectively responded to those in need. Our ability to work hand in hand with active (duty), (Air National) Guard and reserve military forces, as well as U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection assets, was a complete success.”
Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine units from across the continental U.S., along with the Coast Guard and Air Force Auxiliary Force (Civil Air Patrol), banded together with state and local agencies to provide enhanced search and rescue, communications and aerial imagery collection during recovery efforts.
Of the more than 16,800 individuals rescued by the Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, FEMA and DOD, 2,078 search and rescue operations were coordinated through Tyndall Air Force Base’s Air Operations Center.
The Search and Rescue Operations Coordination Element provided centralized control and prioritization of federal military search and rescue forces to ensure the greatest unity of effort to save lives, prevent human suffering and mitigate great loss of property.
In addition to the search and rescue efforts, the Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations Center requested AFNORTH assistance for airborne command and control over devastated areas of Texas.
The 601st Air Operations Center, which is the operational arm for AFNORTH, employed an E-3 Sentry and E-8 Joint Stars as well as a Navy E-2 Hawkeye to fill the role of a communications relay and act as a tactical hub between the Western Air Defense Sector, Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center, an air support operations squadron and over 80 search and rescue aircraft.
The Navy’s P-8 Poseidon, although designed for battlefield intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, also provided aerial imagery of the Texas landscape through their capabilities employed in support of civil authorities heading the relief efforts.
AFNORTH also leaned on the Civil Air Patrol, who has supported the Air Force since World War II, to collect still imagery demanded by rescue units in the field.
Most of the assets under the control of AFNORTH are now packing up equipment and returning to home stations as civil authorities transition to recovery operations.
However, as the demand for Hurricane Harvey support wanes, AFNORTH continues to monitor the path of Hurricane Irma, and is prepared to respond at a moment’s notice.Hurricane Harvey 



Humanitarian 



AFNORTH 



resuce 



relief 



FEMA 



response 



search and rescue 



601st Air Operations Center 



E-3 Sentry 



E-8 JSTARS 



joint operations 



Civil Air Patrol 



Tyndall AFB Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil