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General Aviation Vital for Disaster Relief
May 9, 2018
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  • The Emergency Volunteer Air Corps (EVAC) NW Division, based out of western Washington, is prepared for when the worst happens.  This is a collaborative effort with many partners on a national and international level to develop a coordinated West Coast General Aviation Response Plan (WCGARP).  The foundation of this is the multiple Disaster Airlift Response Teams (DART)’s being developed in both WA and CA and the national/international pilot organations backing up the local DART’s.

    In the event of a major earthquake, where roads, bridges, and even landing strips would be virtually unusable, EVAC has a plan in place to reach those in need. EVAC utilizes seaplanes as the tip of the spear to do initial movement until land based DART’s can come back on line as what airfields do survive are cleared as usable.  Seaplanes can reach virtually any community connected to a lake, river, beach, or waterway that would be hit by a disaster. When disaster strikes, and communities are without food, water, or medicine, EVAC can have doctors, food, water, and aid workers flown in to help in affected areas.

    To see a video of the most recent exercise click here, and to read more about the latest developments click here.