910th Airlift Sprays 1.1M Acres Flooded by Harvey
VIENNA, Ohio – News organizations covering ongoing Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts in eastern Texas will see first-hand today how the Air Force Reserve’s 910th Airlift Wing carries out its unique aerial spray mosquito control mission.
More than 90 Reserve airmen, based at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station here, have been deployed there since Sept. 8 from a base of operations at the Kelly Field Annex at the Joint Base San Antonio in Texas.
A press event there will detail the scope of the mission in Texas, where the hurricane left large amounts of standing, polluted water. This situation is impacting first responders and recovery workers as clean-up and repair efforts continue.
Since the 910th started mosquito control aerial spray operations on Sept. 9, the unit has treated more than 1.1 million acres in eastern Texas.
A U.S. Air Force Reserve C-130H Hercules with the 910th Airlift Wing performs an aerial spray mission Sept. 13 at Lake Jackson, Texas.
“We have a hell of a team here performing this important mission,” said Lt. Col. Bart Elsea, mission commander for the mosquito control aerial spray mission .
invaluable support to the Air Force Reserve Command’s aerial spray special mission.
The aerial spray missions are conducted at dusk and nighttime hours using night vision technology when pest insects are most active.
For this mosquito control mission, the Texas Department of State Health Services selected a material called naled. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, this material is effective in amounts not large enough to cause any concern for the health of humans, including children and pregnant women, or pets.
The 910th’s aerial spray capability has been used for pest insect control during disaster recovery efforts by treating more than 2.8 million acres in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 as well as after Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
Hurricane Harvey aerial spray operations are expected to significantly surpass previous missions in scope of areas treated by the Air Force Reserve, according to the announcement of today’s press event in Texas.
Pictured at top: U.S. Airmen with the 910th Airlift Wing’s757th Airlift Squadron perform a site safety survey before commencing a night aerial spray mission over the area affected by Hurricane Harvey.
SOURCE: 910th Airlift Wing
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