Dover colonel links USTRANSCOM to federal relief efforts
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. A Dover colonel is spearheading U.S. Transportation Commands efforts to help Gulf Coast areas recover from Hurricane Rita.
Col. Glen Joerger, vice commander for the 436th Airlift Wing, departed Dover Wednesday for Washington, D.C., to coordinate Air Force airlift capabilities in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
We are here so that when requests for airlift come in from the affected states, we can help to make it happen, he said. In the past 24 hours we responded to requests to evacuate the elderly from three different counties; first helping those who couldnt help themselves. He added that representatives from numerous federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, Forest Service, National Guard Bureau and other Department of Defense agencies serve in similar positions.
This marks the second time in less than a month the colonel has filled the role of senior planner, as he also assumed that role on Aug. 29 as Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. During that time he coordinated the air evacuation of New Orleans. That followed training he received in the early summer, after being named by Air Mobility Command officials as one of four pre-designated disaster relief airlift coordinators in early 2005.
Col. Glen Joerger, vice commander for the 436th Airlift Wing, departed Dover Wednesday for Washington, D.C., to coordinate Air Force airlift capabilities in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
We are here so that when requests for airlift come in from the affected states, we can help to make it happen, he said. In the past 24 hours we responded to requests to evacuate the elderly from three different counties; first helping those who couldnt help themselves. He added that representatives from numerous federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, Forest Service, National Guard Bureau and other Department of Defense agencies serve in similar positions.
This marks the second time in less than a month the colonel has filled the role of senior planner, as he also assumed that role on Aug. 29 as Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. During that time he coordinated the air evacuation of New Orleans. That followed training he received in the early summer, after being named by Air Mobility Command officials as one of four pre-designated disaster relief airlift coordinators in early 2005.