910th Deployed to Louisiana to Aid Hurricane Recovery

BOSSIER CITY, La. – Following Hurricane Delta’s landfall in Louisiana, the 910th Airlift Wing of Youngstown Air Reserve Station has been deployed there to conduct missions aimed at controlling the spread of mosquitos.

Two C-130 from the Vienna Township air station were sent to Barksdale Air Force Base Oct. 20. and will remain there for at least a week.

“Our military men and women are privileged to be able to assist the interagency team and people of  Louisiana as they recover from the recent hurricanes Delta and Laura,” said Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce, commander of First Air Force at Air Force’s Northern Command, in a statement. “The Air Force Reserve’s 910th Aerial Spray  Flight normally conducts spray missions at dusk and nighttime hours using night vision technology  when pest insects are most active and the 910th’s men and women are longtime pros at this  mission.”

The 910th Airlift Wing is the only aerial spray mission in the Department of Defense. Using a specially designed modular aerial spray system, the C-130s are able to spray EPA-approved pesticides to keep mosquitos at bay following flooding after the hurricane. If the insects are allowed to lay eggs in the flooded areas, their population increases dramatically and can hinder other recovery efforts.

The last time the wing supported the Federal Emergency Management Agency was after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Then, the 910th treated 1.4 million acres along the Gulf Coast.

According to the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the 910th Airlift Wing is scheduled to spray Acadia, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jeff Davis, Lafayette, and Vermilion  parishes.  

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.