CAF Domestic Disaster Relief Ops 2008 - 2017 [Merged]

[Colin Parkinson]

I heard that clip, when he said that, I knew he was talking out of his arse and clicked off the link.

 

[The Bread Guy]

.... here:

Operation LAMA (A) 02-10 is the Canadian Forces (CF) joint response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Igor to
southern and eastern Newfoundland on 21 September 2010. Hurricane Igor caused widespread damage across parts of
eastern Newfoundland on Tuesday, 21 Sept 10, as heavy rains flooded communities, washed out roads and stranded
some residents in their homes. Most heavily hit were the Burin and Bonne Vista Peninsulas.

Led by Canada Command and conducted through Joint Task Force Atlantic (JTFA) this domestic humanitarian relief
mission incorporated Canadian Forces land, maritime and air assets to deliver much needed assistance to isolated
Newfoundland communities cut off by severe road damage. More than 1,000 members from the Air, Land and Maritime
components of theCF were engaged in multiple tasks on Op LAMA (A) 02-10, including: delivering critical supplies
such as food, water, medical supplies and fuel; providing medical evacuation; assisting in moving power crews and
materials to repair power grids; delivering generators and re-supplying fuel to main communications nodes; assisting
with bridging and road repair and transporting engineering analysis teams ....

Also attached if link doesn't work for you.

 

[observor 69]

 



These were taken in Bonavista Newfoundland during & after the Igor storm. They are much more telling than the images we saw on TV news.



http://www2.swgc.ca/npritchett/

 

[Sapplicant]

Random, but relevant, question here. Do they (units from Gagetown) have measures in place to make sure no Newfoundland soil finds its back to New Brunswick?

 

[George Wallace]

Yes they do.

When equipment is moved to any location outside of the "Home Base" it is always put through a thorough wash.  It is washed before leaving Gagetown, and washed again before leaving Newfoundland.  This process has always been in effect.

 

[dapaterson]

Random, but relevant, question here. Do they (units from Gagetown) have measures in place to make sure no Newfoundland soil finds its back to New Brunswick?

They will follow all federal regulations and any provicinal regulations.

That said, to my knowledge there is no quarantine of Newfoundland - I'm curious about the background to your question?

 

[PMedMoe]

I think any vehicle getting on the ferry is subjected to a washing. 

They will follow all federal regulations and any provicinal regulations.

That said, to my knowledge there is no quarantine of Newfoundland - I'm curious about the background to your question?

people don’t realize it, but when it comes time to leave the island via the ferry, your vehicle will be treated to a washing and vacuuming at the terminal. No, it’s not a quaint custom; it’s to keep the Newfoundland soil in Newfoundland in order to prevent the spread of potato canker, a soil borne disease. To speed the process, wash your tent pegs beforehand, as they’ll be inspected too. Also, don’t attempt to take any vegetable matter out of the province, even if those unique blue potatoes are the best thing you’ve ever tasted.

Source:  http://www.suite101.com/content/travelling-to-newfoundland-a27418

 

[Sapplicant]

That said, to my knowledge there is no quarantine of Newfoundland - I'm curious about the background to your question?

Potato Wart Disease. As near as I know, the quarantine is still in place. It surfaced in a few fields in PEI back in 2000 and caused a pretty big headache for the farmers. If I'm not mistaken, the USA closed their border to PEI potatoes for a while, which can really cripple regions where farming is the driving force of the economy. Oddly enough, I got to thinking about it while picking rocks on a potato harvester here in NB, and figured I'd ask.

 

[Captsapper@gmail.com]

According to Marine Atlantic's description of both the Port Aux Basques and Argentia terminals it outlines briefly the inspection and washing procedures for vehicles leaving Newfoundland.  http://www.marine-atlantic.ca/en/travelers/terminals.shtml

I also recall that the cost associated with this was downloaded to the customer quite a while ago.  http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/1997/forest/0926n01.htm

 

[The Bread Guy]

Herc & 2 x Griffons for now, according to this from the Toronto Sun:

The Ontario Provincial Police have called in the military to help pull more than 300 people stranded on Hwy. 402 between London and Sarnia by a severe winter storm.

The military helicopters, brought in from CFB Trenton after Lambton County declared a state of emergency, are standing by for now because visibility is so poor on the highway, they'd have nowhere to land.

"They'll be airlifting people from their vehicles but for now they're standing down because they need to have a safe area to touch down and reach those in need," said OPP Const. John Reurink.

All east-west Lambton County roads are "like a parking lot," Reurink said.

"Any motorist that is going on those roads is making a grave mistake."

More than 360 vehicles are stranded on the highway, many between Sarnia and Warwick, but the entire highway has been shut down because of zero visibility and blowing snow.

About 300 people will need to be rescued from their vehicles, Reurink said.

A C130 Hercules and two Griffin helicopters specially designed for search and rescue missions should be touching down around 8:30 a.m. to rescue people stranded in their vehicles on Hwy. 402.

The C310 has spotters on board who look through portholes and can guide the smaller Griffins to a safe landing spot.

The Griffins are equipped with slings that can be used if landing is too dangerous, but they're specially designed to land in precarious situations, said Steve Baker, president of the London International Airport, where the helicopters stopped en route from CFB Trenton.

"The helicopters can land on the highway. They will likely land 200 or 300 feet away from a vehicle and get the people out of there," Baker said.

The Griffins can also send rescue personnel by dropping down on a swing without landing, but that's less likely, said Baker.

"The highway is a good paved surface and I imagine a lot of the stranded people will be able to walk by themselves." ....

More from CBC.ca and the Canadian Press.

 

[riggermade]

There's good use of military resources...OPP had been issuing warnings all day yesterday to stay off the roads down there...even the snowplows aren't running

 

[old medic]

Military evacuating 300 drivers stranded on Ontario highway
http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/12/14/more-than-300-drivers-stranded-on-ontario-highway/

Canadian Forces helicopters have started evacuating some of the more than 300 motorists stranded on a snow-clogged stretch of Ontario highway between London and Sarnia.

Two Griffon helicopters are now air-lifting dozens of people who spent Monday night huddling in their cars on Highway 402, after intense snow squalls reduced visibility to near-zero levels and piled huge drifts across the usually busy expressway.

The extreme winter weather made plowing all but impossible, leaving motorists to fend for themselves in sub-zero temperatures — many with out food, water or warm clothing.

Michael Freeman, who works at the CN rail yards in Sarnia, set out to work from his home in Burlington Monday morning and had been on the road for about an hour before Highway 402 “stopped dead.”

That was at 8:30 a.m. Monday. He only just made it to a Tim Hortons in Reeces Corners Tuesday morning after a local snowmobiler picked him up off the side of the road.

Mr. Freeman says he was able to meet up with a co-worker who was also stranded on the highway, and was able to conserve gas by spending part of the night in his friend’s car and part of the night in his own. They had neither food nor water.

“We had just stepped out to stretch our legs trying not to go cabin crazy when a local came by on a snowmobile and asked us if we wanted a lift to Tim Hortons. At that point, I was not about to say no,” he said on the phone from the Tim Hortons.

Visibility was so poor, he said, that it was impossible to see other vehicles more than 10 yards away. The poor visibility, combined with icy road conditions, led to countless collisions and vehicles in the ditch, Mr. Freeman said.

He said he plans to buy a jerry can of gas and make the 2 1/2 hour walk back to his car in the hope that he will be able to get out sometime Tuesday.

Eighteen-year-old Fanshawe College student Austin Pine left London Monday morning to head home to Sault Ste Marie for the Christmas holidays. He had driven only a few kilometres east on Highway 402 when he got stuck in the snow.

“You couldn’t see a thing. It was white everywhere,” he said. “There are lots of accidents out there. Moving vans in snow banks, snowplows in the ditch, cars that have flown into the ditch.”

At one point during his drive, Mr. Pine says he couldn’t see more than few yards in front of him and drove straight into a snowbank after the road curved without warning.

Mr. Pine said he had luckily packed most of his warm clothing to take home for the holidays, a luxury most other drivers must do without, he said.

Lambton County officials declared a state of emergency at 9:45 p.m. Monday as rescue workers attempted to reach the stranded motorists throughout the night. Declaring a state of emergency means the county can ask Ottawa for aid, including help from the military.

Capt. Annie Morin, a spokeswoman at CFB Trenton, said the military received its first call for help from the OPP just before midnight Monday. The military immediately dispatched a Hercules aircraft and two Griffon helicopters, she said, but the weather proved so terrible that landing in the vicinity of the stranded motorists was impossible.

She said the helicopters were forced to land in London, where they spent the night before heading out again Tuesday morning.

Capt. Morin said those the military has been able to reach are being taken to community halls in the nearby municipalities of Strathroy, Wyoming and Sarnia.

Warwick Township mayor Todd Case told the National Post about 100 people were brought in from the highway to spend the night at the Centennial Hall in Watford, with a further 35 sent to Warwick Township hall.

“They’re doing well considering the circumstances,” he said. “A lot of them have gone through a very tough time in the last few hours. They’re happy to be somewhere they can get food and have a roof over their head.”

He praised the local community after the halls were inundated with food, blankets and pillows for the stranded drivers.

“It’s just unbelievable.”

OPP spokesman Dennis Harwood urged drivers to stay off the highway, telling them not to drive around police barricades set up on entry ramps between London and Sarnia.

“They’re going to become part of the problem, not part of the solution down here,” he said.

Environment Canada is predicting more snow flurries in Lambton County Tuesday, with a high of minus seven degrees.

Still-stranded motorists are being told to listen to local radio stations CHOK AM1070, FM 106.3 or FM 99.9 to get the latest updates.

 

[Snakedoc]

wow, the situation on the highway sounds pretty dire over there.  Glad the CF can help!

 

[dimsum]

Yikes.  How bad is London and east?  I was supposed to be taking VIA from Toronto to London tomorrow.

 

[Sapplicant]

Beach vacation turns frozen night on Hwy 402
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/canada/article/718977--beach-vacation-turns-frozen-night-on-hwy-402

SARNIA, Ont. - A family with visions of a Mexican beach in their heads found themselves huddled for warmth under thin shawls overnight, stranded on a snow-swept Ontario highway along with some 300 other marooned motorists.

The Bhushan family was en route Monday to Detroit for a flight to warmer climes when a fierce storm battered the southwestern reaches of the province, closing a 30-kilometre stretch of Highway 402.

Drifting snow and zero visibility left hundreds with no option but to hunker down in their vehicles — the only shelter available to guard against the bone-chilling night as they awaited help.

Police said that by early Tuesday afternoon 177 people had been rescued — 37 by the military and 140 taken out on buses. One was an unspecified medical emergency, but that person was said to be OK.

It was unclear how many others were taken to safety by farmers and snowmobilers said to be aiding in the effort.

"We didn't know what to do," said Suhani Bhushan, 19, who spent the night in the car with her parents and sister. "No one wanted to talk because it was so cold."

While waiting for police to find them on London Line, which runs parallel to the highway, the Mississauga, Ont., family would run the car for five minutes every half-hour in an effort to keep warm.

When the rescue team arrived, the four travellers were more than willing to abandon their car and luggage for the warmth of a nearby Tim Hortons.

The coffee shop, just east of Sarnia and south of the highway, provided safe haven for dozens of travellers. Some people who arrived at the shop early Monday were still there as of early Tuesday, said day manager Jody Mattson.

"We've had people from seven o'clock yesterday morning — they're still the same people," she said.

"They're good. We've been giving them coffee and feeding them donuts."

Jim Bradley, Ontario's community safety minister, said there were no reports of deaths or injuries among the hundreds who endured the long, frigid night on Highway 402.

While police committed snowmobiles and 4x4 vehicles to the effort and military helicopters were dispatched, southwestern Ontario residents also pitched in to get people off the road and indoors.

"It's been heartening to see the response of local folks as well — farmers and others — who have assisted," Bradley said.

"It's good now that the weather has cleared, that the helicopters are able to start plucking people, literally, from the highway and taking them to safety."

Two military helicopters took to the air Tuesday morning, and Defence Minister Peter MacKay said those utility choppers can take up to a dozen people at a time. Other helicopters were on standby.

"High winds are a concern," MacKay said. "We have also provided a C-130 Hercules aircraft to do a flyover and give sort of an eyes-on view of the number of people why may be stranded, who may be in peril."

Some people don't want to leave their vehicles and would rather just get back on the road, said MacKay, who added the federal government continues to respond with "everything it can."

Drifting snow and zero visibility had trapped about 300 people in their vehicles starting Monday on Highway 402 between Sarnia and County Road 22, about 30 kilometres east of the city, provincial police said.

In all, there were some 360 vehicles stuck.

Those trapped were dealing with minus 15 degree temperatures that felt like minus 25 with the windchill, said Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson.

Occasional 70 km/hr wind gusts blew around 30 to 40 centimetres of snow, causing significant whiteout conditions. The band of snow had moved over western portions of Middlesex County, just west of London, as of Tuesday afternoon.

London, paralyzed last week by more than a metre of snow, could pick up 40 centimetres of fresh snow before the early hours of Thursday, said Coulson.

Ontario wasn't the only province being pounded by extreme weather.

Powerful winds and rain battered New Brunswick, partially tearing off the roof of a retirement home, knocking out power for tens of thousands of people and causing the St. John River to swell near its banks.

The storm dumped a deluge of water in St. Stephen, N.B., located on the U.S. border with Maine, where town officials had to temporarily declare a state of emergency.

In Nova Scotia, high winds downed trees and power lines.

Emergency Management Ontario had issued a Red Alert late Monday for the Sarnia area because of the snow and lack of visibility, meaning the area could get assistance from Ottawa. The Red Alert ended around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Warming centres have opened in the communities of Wyoming, Watford, Forest and Warwick.

Stranded motorists used the "buddy system," banding together in one vehicle to save fuel, police said.

There have been reports of motorists driving around warning signs onto closed roads, interfering with plows, emergency and police vehicles.

Peter Andersen, a truck driver from Oakville, Ont., was trapped in the storm just east of Sarnia on Monday morning. That evening, the 42-year-old reached into the truck's trailer and broke open a case of bottled water, part of the cargo he was meant to deliver.

"I just took out the whole case and started handing it out to people, to keep them hydrated," he said from the truck. "You've got to survive, you've got to work together."

Andersen said police were escorting everyone in his area out of their vehicles around 2 p.m., taking them to a warming centre on buses and helicopters.

Another one of the people who had been stranded, Colin Stewart, left his home in Tottenham, Ont., around 2:30 a.m. Monday on his way to work in Wallaceburg, about four hours away.

Road conditions on Highway 402 kept getting worse, he said. Then a tractor-trailer jack-knifed, another slid off the road and a third overturned, bringing traffic to a standstill.

Steward spent the next 25 hours stuck in his car, intermittently napping, phoning relatives and updating his Facebook page from his BlackBerry, the 50-year-old said Tuesday in a phone interview from his car.

The experience has been more boring than scary, he said.

"I've got about a quarter tank of gas I've turned on and off. I've got a nice big blanket I wrapped myself in," said Stewart.

"What can I do? I'm not impressed — it's Canada."

Things were looking up around mid-morning Tuesday, after plows cleared the stretch of road where Stewart was stranded.

Stewart said he was heading straight to work, more than a day late.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said the region wasn't out of the woods, even though the rescue was well underway Tuesday.

While blizzards and highway closures are par for the course in the area, the results are rarely this severe, he said.

"This has probably been the worst storm, and the most unusual one, we've seen in 25 years," said Bradley.

The community has rallied to help, with farmers opening their homes to strangers and companies sending volunteers to lend a hand, he added.

Emergency Management Ontario recommended that people from Lake Huron to the north, Highway 401 to the south, Sarnia to the west, and London to the east avoid all unnecessary travel.

Jeff LeMoine, spokesman for the Canadian Automobile Association, said motorists should always check the weather reports and pack a winter survival guide that includes extra clothes, blankets, food and a candle for warmth.

As for the people who are stranded and refuse to leave their vehicles, they should take the help that's there, LeMoine said.

"Allow the people trying to get you to a safe location to get you there now and you can always go back for your vehicle at a later time."

 

[DCRabbit]

Why not use 400 THS at Borden.. it's closer. Unless they're not equipped to do this kind of stuff.

 

[Loachman]

Because the weather there is dogballs too.

 

[DCRabbit]

Ahh.. well, that would put the kibosh on that, wouldn't it.

 

[Loachman]

Just a tad.

Borden's current weather: SPECI CYBN 142205Z AUTO 29009KT 5/8SM -SN VV001 M10/M11 A2972=

SPECIal Report (as opposed to the regular hourlies) CYBN (Borden) Date/Time Zulu Automatic Weather Observation Station Winds 290 degrees at 9 knots, Visibility 5/8 statute miles (about one-sixth of VFR requirements in controlled airspace or at night; it was down to 3/8 miles a while ago) in light snow, Vertical Visibility 100 feet, Temperature -10C, Dewpoint -11C, Altimeter Setting 29.72 inches of mercury.

And it's dark, too.

This is consistent with the now-expired forecast.

 

[DCRabbit]

Just a tad.

Borden's current weather: SPECI CYBN 142205Z AUTO 29009KT 5/8SM -SN VV001 M10/M11 A2972=

SPECIal Report (as opposed to the regular hourlies) CYBN (Borden) Date/Time Zulu Automatic Weather Observation Station Winds 290 degrees at 9 knots, Visibility 5/8 statute miles (about one-sixth of VFR requirements in controlled airspace or at night; it was down to 3/8 miles a while ago) in light snow, Vertical Visibility 100 feet, Temperature -10C, Dewpoint -11C, Altimeter Setting 29.72 inches of mercury.

And it's dark, too.

This is consistent with the now-expired forecast.

Hey, just like the winters there when I was a kid in the 70s/80s.