Described as the worst disaster in Texas history, Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport on August 25, 2017. Torrential precipitations ( peaks of 827 mm ) caused flooding to the north and east of the Houston area resulted in mandatory evacuations for portions of Liberty, Jefferson, and Tyler counties. As of August 30, has caused at least 30 confirmed deaths (1 in Guyana, and 29 in the United States) and estimates of economic losses range anywhere from $10 billion to $50 billion
27-Sep-17 - The Houston Police Dept used their Bell 412 helicopters to provide transportation and rescue services in the flooded city after Hurricane Harvey
05-Sep-17 - Airbus Helicopters USA, with headquarters located in Texas, provided aircraft for Hurricane Harvey recovery support, including surveillance of flooded areas, supply deliveries and passenger evacuations
02-Sep-17 - A number of Leonardo products and technologies have been activated in support of disaster relief and recovery, including satellites, aircraft, and AW139 helicopters
01-Sep-17 - Three HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters from the 106th Rescue Wing of the New York Air National Guard helped in the rescue of 546 people during a week-long deployment to Texas for Hurricane Harvey relief
31-Aug-17 - Virginia Army National Guard’ 5 Black Hawks from 2-224 AVN and 2 Lakotas from Det 1 Co A 2-151 AVN departed to Texas to support Hurricane Harvey relief efforts
31-Aug-17 - Custom Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) UH-1N helicopters transported critical supplies to the FEMA relief center on the west side of Houston
30-Aug-17 - US Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadrons (HSC) 7 and 28 deployed their MH-60S Seahawks at Easterwood Airport in Texas rescuing 227 people in their first day
30-Aug-17 - 700 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) embarked on USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) amphibious assault carrier in stand by to support Hurricane Harvey relief efforts if needed
29-Aug-17 - CHI Aviation has deployed crew and aircraft to assist with disaster relief efforts in Texas after Hurricane Harvey at request of the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) #HurricaneHarvey
US Navy Squadrons HSC-7 and
HSC-28 deployed 6 MH-60S Seahawks at Easterwood Airport
from where they completed 358 rescues in 225 flight hours.
On September 2 they were replaced by
HSC-21 and
HSC-23
DHS
Air and Marine Operations (AMO) deployed UH-60 Black Hawks, UH-1Ns, and AS350 A-Star helicopters;
Super King Air 350ER Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft;
and P-3 Orions to aid with search and rescue, transport, communications relay, and air traffic coordination.
CBP Black Hawk and UH-1N crews briefing at Kelly AFB before starting relief operations
As of August 29, Air National Guard units involved:
Texas: entire 12,000 called up
- Alaska: ~13 airmen with the 176th Rescue Wing California: ~90 airmen with the 129th Rescue Wing
Connecticut: A C-130 Hercules transport plane with eight airmen from the 103rd Airlift Wing Florida: ~100 airmen with the 920th Rescue Wing
Kentucky: ~20 airmen with the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron Louisiana: ~500 guards. 8 helicopters New York: ~100 airmen, a C-130, three HH-60 Pave Hawk and two C-17 transports with the 106th Rescue Wing
Oregon: ~15 of 125th Special Tactics Squadron for rescue and restoring airfields so supplies can be flown in.