Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military
From: amdcad!ehr@uncecs.edu (Ernest H. Robl)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: use of military resources in natural disasters
Message-ID: <9872@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 3 Oct 89 13:07:03 GMT
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From: Ernest H. Robl 
This may be a bit of a stretch for this newsgroup, but it does
touch on the role of the military in peacetime and the discussion
on the future of the military in previous articles.

There's been considerable reporting on the news about the 
displeasure of both individuals and government officials in the
areas hit by Hurricane Hugo about the speed -- or rather lack of
the same -- in Federal assistance.

One of the things I had been looking for -- and of which I have seen
little evidence in news reports -- would have been a major use of
military resources.  No, I'm not talking about soldiers to help keep
order.

Rather, it appears that the requirements for dealing quickly with a
major natural disaster are much the same as the requirements for
operating a major military presence in a hostile environment.  The
military -- particularly the Army -- has all sorts of highly mobile
communications gear, portable generators capable of supporting fairly
large bases, and, of course, all types of field kitchen facilities for
feeding large numbers of people.  It also has stockpiles of tents,
kots, field sanitation equipment, etc., which can at least provide
basic protection from the elements.  It has vehicles well suited to
travelling through all types of terrain and a substantial helicopter
airlift capability.

Yet, based on the news reports that I've seen, very little of this
capability was used.  Not only would this use have provided an 
excellent public relations boost for the forces involved, it would
also have served as a good "rapid deployment" test.


One of the reasons that I bring this up is that some 20 years ago --
forgive me if a few of the facts are a bit hazy, but this is all 
from memory -- while stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C., I was on one of 
the first aircraft (military or otherwise) to land at Gulfport, 
Miss., after Hurricane Camille hit the area.  (I was an information
specialist at the headquarters public information office, and my job
was to write about and photograph activities of the Army personnel
in the disaster area.  My stories and photographs went out as news
releases to a variety of media, and were also used in the Ft. Bragg
newspaper as well as in civillian newspapers in the Fayetteville area.)

The plane that I was on carried both field telephone switching 
equipment and generator gear.  Other planes in the same flight also
brought down similar gear from the Ft. Bragg/Pope AFB area.

One of the stories that I recall doing while in the Gulfport area was
on how well Vietnam type airlift capabilities had been adapated to 
the disaster.  Three major types of helicopters were used as follows:
Light observation helicopters did the first survey work, touching down
at many isolated farms to check on the condition of the occupants and
to see what types of supplies were needed.  UH-1s then followed up on
these initial reports (mostly made by radio), bringing in supplies or
making medical evacuations.  These helicopters operated out of 
quickly set up forward staging areas which were in turn supplied by
the larger Chinook cargo helicopters which ferried supplies in from
the airport.


My basic question is this:  Why weren't the military capabilities used
this time?  A week after the storm hit, I saw reports of FEMA workers
having victims fill out forms by *flashlight* lighting at assistance
centers.  Is there a national policiy for the use of military units
in such situations?  (I assume there isn't.)  And, who makes the 
decision to commit military resources?  Does this have to come from
the President?

Just some things to think about.  -- Ernest

My opinions are my own and probably not IBM-compatible.--ehr
Ernest H. Robl  (ehr@ecsvax)  (919) 684-6269 w; (919) 286-3845 h
Systems Specialist (Tandem System Manager), Library Systems,
027 Perkins Library, Duke University, Durham, NC  27706  U.S.A.