9 March 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Severe storm season is around the corner, and Wichita is playing a part in how we respond to disasters.
A new plan was built in Wichita that will give us an advantage when severe weather strikes.
After a disaster, emergency responders need accurate information quickly. Knowing where to send resources minutes after a disaster can mean life or death for those impacted.
“One of our biggest challenges is getting the true situational assessment. How big is it? What is the scope of the impacts of whatever happened? A tornado is a prime example,” said Julie Stimson with Sedgwick County Emergency Management.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, assists on the front lines of natural disasters. Their Aircraft Operations Center, most famous for the hurricane hunters, operates a small fleet of Beechcraft King Airs.
“We also have our king airs doing emergency response imagery after disasters, whether it’s a flood or a tornado; we can be requested in to help emergency managers figure out what the conditions are on the ground and direct resources as needed quickly,” said Jonathan Shannon with the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center.
The King airline is built by Textron Aviation here in Wichita.
“The DOA plane flew over my house and Sanibel Island, where I live, and those pictures were so incredibly important to me because I didn’t know if my house was destroyed or not. I mean, it was nearly a — it was a Category 5 storm when it hit Sanibel island,” said Doug Scott, the Public Affairs Manager at Textron.
The ultra-high-resolution camera onboard is just one tool that the King Air can carry. The cargo bay can be configured with a wide array of scientific instruments for mapping land and sea.
“On board, they can also carry during snow survey a gamma radiation detector that measures background radiation that’s blocked by the moisture in the soil and the snowpack, so as they’re flying lines, they can determine based on how that blockage is occurring how much water is in the system,” said Shannon.
The aircraft can build knowledge of land ahead of storms and do damage surveys afterward.
“That initial aerial view can give us an idea of the challenges our first responders are going to face. What roads are blocked? Where are the power lines down? Where are trees down? Where are flooded roads at?” Stimson said.
That information is key in keeping our first responders safe while getting resources where they need to go.
This past January, a third King Air was delivered to the Aircraft Operations Center. This is just another way Wichitans are helping get us all ready for severe weather season.
For more stories on Severe Weather Preparedness, click here.