Disaster Relief

Many times in recent years, the well organized, efficient force that is the Canadian military has been called upon to fight a different sort of battle - confronting the whims of nature. Delivering disaster relief to Canadians hit by ice storms, floods, forest fires or other natural disasters often requires a massive coordination effort, a task well suited to the organizational skills and communications expertise of the Canadian military.

Evacuation of injured or threatened people, ferrying in supplies and vital equipment, flying reconnaissance missions to keep rescue and civilian forces informed of developments - these are the tasks carried out by the air force. They are also deployed on the ground during such emergencies, helping wherever needed. Sometimes this means working to restore power and heat, distributing food and medical assistance, or setting up emergency shelters and helping people reach them.

Testing the load limits of a Hercules by evacuating a fire-threatened village, dropping logs on ice-encrusted power lines from Griffon helicopters during the Ice Storm, using the Sea King's submarine detection equipment to probe flooded areas in Manitoba - the air force's people, equipment and ingenuity have been brought to bear to help Canadians cope when nature rages.