After hearing, as reported on CNN, that FEMA was suspending boat-based rescue operations due to safety concerns, I started to wonder, how many Coast Guard and military Search and Resuce helicopters are in operation.
Helicopters are a wonderful tool in situations like this. FEMA and the NORTHCOM need to stick a pin on a map in New Orleans and draw a circle 500 miles in radius around it and every flyable military helicopter inside the circle needs to be sent to New Orleans.
Do you need to evacuate large numbers of people from New Orleans--get a bunch of H-53 helicopters. These are big, very big helicopters capable of carrying several dozen people. You don't need to take people all the way to Houston, just to an operating airfield. So here is my plan:
Take H-53's load them with two of those big 3000 pound sandbags the Army Corps of Engineers have talked about to plug the levees. Have them drop the sandbags and then on the way back to the airbase, have the helicopter pick up some people and take back to the airbase. Offload teh people and repeat.
To get people from New Orleans to Houston, San Antonio or anywhere else, eminent domain some aircraft from the airlines. The New Orleans airport is closed, thus I would imagine there are some extra aircraft that normally fly into New Orleans everyday that are now available. If we can imminent domain someone's house for a hotel, surely the government can commandeer a few dozen aircraft to shuttle people to safety. Last I heard there was an operational runway at the New Orleans Airport.
At this point, I wonder where the common sense is. It didn't take long for me to figure out this idea. Why hasn't anyone else?
No comments:
Post a Comment