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What Is the Role of Air Transport During Natural Disasters?

During times of natural disaster, transport is one of the things that comes to a screeching halt. But in such times, air transport provides a lot of help in rescue operations. It can also provide rescue and supply efforts to devastated areas, thus becoming one of the best ways to reach and help those who have become victims of disaster.

  1. Search and Rescue Programs

    • Emergency search and rescue teams by air have become top leaders in rescue operations for helping people out, post disaster. If there would be no helicopters or small transport planes for rescue teams in the event of natural disasters, more people would suffer, starve or perish. Floods cover entire highways with water and destruct all transport and communication mediums around, and seismic events completely ruin them; yet air transport can go where no other vehicles can.

    Role of Air Transport

    • Helicopters, especially, are able to zoom in and locate victims of floods. Trained rescue teams of people help the victims of floods, who normally end up on rooftops during the aftermath of such a disaster. Such people are readily rescued by helicopters, when sometimes boats cannot get to where they are located. Also, food packets are dropped down from helicopters for people in disaster-affected areas before the rescue teams arrive.

    Assessment of Areas

    • Another wonderful role of air transport during times of disaster is that of being able to survey massive areas within a region, to find victims and assess current damage, possibly coming away with greater knowledge of what’s to come later on. Planes or helicopters can map out sections of devastation, giving emergency agencies and government officials a good view of who needs help, what’s been damaged and what could be dangerous.

    Air Transport Efforts After Natural Disasters

    • Air transport efforts include feeding hungry people when there is no food or water readily available. Food and water can be dropped by helicopters or planes to targeted locations where relief workers can then distribute them to the people within a disaster zone. Any location that extends out from the “ground zero,” or central area within a disaster zone, can be easily reached by plane, thereby giving people the nourishment they need.

    Limitation of Air Transport During Volcanoes

    • There is one disaster, however, that cannot allow air transport due to the damage it can provide to the planes or helicopters, and that is volcano. The ash and storms that accompany a volcanic blast can disrupt the engines of an air transport vehicle, rendering it useless. It can also cause potential breathing problems to pilots and air crew, if they were to attempt even flying around a cloud of ash, after the eruption of the volcano.

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