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Japan MegaQuake March 2011: Helicopter Response

Japanese Blackhawk lifts survivors to safety

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A Honalulu Fire Department 520N warns civilians to move away from beach areas

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Japanese 412 rescues stranded workers

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As I sit here at my EMS base with crew, I wish we could be transpoted to Japan to use our skills and experience and advanced machines. Imagine if 500+ helos from around the world could be brought in. What an immense difference it would make to so many.

I'm with you. Two makes a quorum in my book. Let's go!!

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From what I understand the US are mobilising helicopters from their Japanese bases and dispatching additional rotorcraft courtesy of the US Navy. But, as is often the case, a significant portion of the critical period (in terms of the rescue response for life-saving endeavours) will have elapsed by the time the number of helicopter assets have swelled. These assets will however become indispensable during the post-disaster recovery period.

Mobilising large numbers of helicopters at short notice for the purposes of international rescue is something which has been discussed over many years and numerous proposals have been tabled by the US and NATO and, at one point, I think there was even a civilian initiative which reached the floor of the British parliament with the aid of some of Bristow's former supporters.

The logistics are, in most cases, unfeasible and the solution must therefore be to develop national and regional emergency response plans which promote the consolidation of all available rotary assets within the shortest possible time. These assets should include all available civilian helicopters (typically those available for charter) and equipment should be devised (if it is not already in existence) which enables civilian craft to perform basic life-saving functions. Training for civilian crews employed by those firms signed-up to such response plans should also be catered for.

Governments need to underwrite these initiatives as an integral part of their national emergency planning and laws need to be effected which give powers to the right people so as to enable them to mobilise equipment and personnel with the minimum amount of 'fuss'.

Of course most of this does already exist in the plans of well-organised governments and is largely executed by their defence forces but .. the integration of civilian and parastatal assets is where, in most cases, extra planning is still required if one wishes to boost life-saving efforts.

Back to Japan; there is little doubt that additional rotorcraft would have saved more lives. Let us hope that many more will indeed be rescued over the coming days.

S.

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March 12, 2011 photo released by the U.S. Navy, the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) gets underway from Sepangar,Malaysia to support earthquake and tsunami relief operations in Japan as directed.

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March 12, 2011 photo released by the U.S. Navy, MH-53 helicopters land aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) inthe Sea of Japan. Tortuga is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility ready to support earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan as directed.

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March 12, 2011 photo released by the U.S. Marine Corps, CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 265,depart from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa on Saturday, March 12, 2011 for Naval Air Facility Atsugi on mainland Japan to provide assistance after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami struck Japan. The helicopters will fly more than 1,000 miles over open water with emergency equipment.

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A handout photo released by the office of the Prime Minister of Japan on March 12, shows PM Naoto Kan inspecting earthquake and tsumani damage in MiyagiPrefecture. Japan mobilised 50,000 military and other rescue personnel Saturday to spearhead a Herculean rescue and recovery effort, a day after being hit by its most devastating quake and tsunami on record.

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People are evacuated from an emergency shelter at an elementary school in Sendai in northeastern Japan March 12, 2011. Japan confronted devastation alongits northeastern coast on Saturday, with fires raging and parts of some cities under water after a massive earthquake and tsunami that likely killed at least 1,000 people.

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An elderly woman is assisted by rescue personnel in Sendai, in northeastern Japan March 12, 2011. Japan confronted devastation along its northeastern coaston Saturday, with fires raging and parts of some cities under water after a massive earthquake and tsunami that likely killed at least 1,000 people. Japan scaled back its tsunami warning for much of the country on Saturday, nearly 24 hours after a massive earthquake struck and set off a succession of tsunami, NHK television said.

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A Japan Self Defense Force helicopter lands at a sports field with the "SOS" rescue signals in Minamisanriku , Miyagi Prefecture in northeasternJapan March 12, 2011.

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A Japan Self Defense Force helicopter rescues people in Minamisanriku , Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan March 12, 2011.

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People stranded on a damaged building are rescued in Noda village, Iwate prefecture, Saturday, March 12, 2011, a day after a strong earthquake-triggereddevastating tsunami hit Japan's east coast.

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A Japan Self Defense Forces fighter jet is swept into a building by a tsunami at an airbase in Higashimatsushima City, Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan March 12, 2011.

On joint helicopter forces subject European Defence Agency was on track to that...
For sure we like to be included when time comes, in mean time something
basic on that subject exist within our AHHNet on Adriatic sea
(Adriatic helicopter and helipad network)

Put term in Google please, can not link here, SP is after me :ouch:

Japanese Blackhawk and Super 'P' perform hoist operations in support of tsunami survivors

China should send every earthmover and helicopter they have to help the poor survivors.

They are the closest country with the largest infrastructure to help, time to halt any politics and save people on the ground.

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An instant response from China would have been of great help but .. the politics would appear too taught to enable this. :(

Quote:

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Airlift: A woman is lifted to safety from the devastation by a Japanese Bell 412 in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture

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USMC BV107 SeaKnights evidently performed a 1,000m sea crossing from Okinawa to the Japanese mainland in order to render assistance

In Shiroishi, a town near the area hardest hit by the quake, two SH-60 helicopters from US Naval Air Facility Atsugi delivered 1,500 pounds of rice and bread donated by people in Ebina, southeast of Tokyo, the US 7th Fleet, said in a statement Saturday.
The US Navy destroyer the USS Mustin departed Yokosuka on Sunday. Eight other US ships are en route to Japan from various locations.
The USS Tortuga departed Japan Saturday night to pick up two helicopters from South Korea and is expected back Tuesday.
The USS Ronald Reagan has been set up to serve as a platform for refuelling Japanese Self Defense Force and other helicopters involved in the rescue and recovery efforts.
The US Forces Japan based at Yokota Air Base near Tokyo are the lead military command for coordinating humanitarian assistance. Shortly after the quake struck the air base was designated as an alternate airfield for flights that could not land at Tokyo’s Narita Airport.
The US Agency for International Development said it was deploying two urban search-and-rescue teams, one from Fairfax County, Virginia, and the second from Los Angeles County. The Virginia team departed Washington on Saturday and was stopping in Los Angeles to pick up the second team. Both teams, comprised of 250 personnel and 30 canines, are set to arrive Monday morning in Misawa, Japan. The rescue dogs will travel on seats alongside their handlers on specially chartered 767's. One of the dogs named "Cadillac" is a Labrador who worked with the Los Angeles Fire Department to find victims after the earthquake in Haiti last year.

More: U.S. troops, searchers and equipment arriving in Japan | NONSOLOFOLE

Airport Sendai, The day after :eek:
http://www.jutarnji.hr/multimedia/ar...8_378355S0.jpg

9Aplus, great work - before and after pics are the go. Was amazing seeing the Brisbane city flooding ones too that someone put on here somewhere!

The "before" pic is quite old tho just noticed, runway markings are different, tower building now longer, etc ... I wonder what happened to all the jets??? Did they get enough warning to fly out??

Cheers, KP

I am afraid, not!
Window of fly away oportunitiy was less than 20 min.....:uhoh:

Quote:

I am afraid, not!
Window of fly away oportunitiy was less than 20 min.....http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...lies/worry.gif

Thats true, but at the time of the flooding, all sceduled flights had already departed, so none of the jets was damaged. But that would have been one of the smaller problems over there....

skadi

http://thebaseleg.smugmug.com/photos...55_ZAkDv-O.jpg

A JASDF UH-60J helicopter sits among debris at Matsushima air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, northeastern Japan, on Saturday, March 12, 2011, one day after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

The military reported 3 UH-60Js were lost at this base along with 18 Mitsubishi F-2 A/B's (similar to F-16), 5 Kawasaki T-4 jet trainers, and 3 U-125's Hawker 800XP's,

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The latest:

Quote:

Japan nuke plant may spray reactor by helicopter

TOKYO (AP) — Nuclear officials say they may seek U.S. and Japanese military help to spray water from helicopters into an overheating spent fuel storage pool.

Tokyo Electric Power says it may use helicopters because of the risk of radiation contamination from approaching the pool directly. Air drops may also be more effective.

A Japanese official says the pool might be boiling, raising the risk that water used to keep the fuel cool might evaporate.

Officials are struggling to address the failure of safety systems at several of the plant's reactors after Friday's earthquake and tsunami.

Hundreds of aftershocks have shaken the region and Tokyo since, including one Tuesday night whose epicenter was hundreds of miles (kilometers) southwest and inland from the original offshore quake.

More: Japan nuke plant may spray reactor by helicopter - Times Union

Media reports some ~~nutters~~ heros are going to start heli water bombing the reactors. Good luck :ooh: