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Florida Reservist ‘a pro’ at hurricane response

  • Published
  • By Carol Carpenter
  • AFNORTH PA
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  When Col. Robert Ament packed his small weekend bag to assist the Air Force with Tropical Storm Fay in August 2008, he tucked in only three extra pairs of socks, sufficient for the four days he expected to be away from home. But 45 days, one tropical storm and two hurricanes later ― able only to wash those increasingly soiled socks in salty ocean water ― he wished he'd taken a few more pairs.

But foot apparel was almost always the last thing on his mind as the longtime Air Force Reservist/helicopter pilot/emergency medical technician toiled through six weeks of exhausting air coordination, search and rescue and evacuation operations during Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Although Fay in mid-August zigzagged across and landed several times in Florida, spawned 11 tornadoes and was blamed for 36 deaths, it never became an official, full-blown hurricane.

But Gustav did. Triggering the largest evacuation in U.S. history ― over 3 million people fled their homes ― Gustav hit the Louisiana coast on Sept. 1, causing 153 U.S. and Caribbean deaths and about $6.6 billion in total damages.

Ike, which popped up in early September just as Gustav was winding down, was the most intense storm of the 2008 Atlantic season. Barreling into Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 13, it was blamed for 195 U.S. and Caribbean deaths and caused estimated damages of about $32 billion.

Colonel Ament, assigned by the Air Force in 2008 to become an Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer--EPLO for short--for the State of Florida, helped coordinate Air Force support for all three storms.

As an EPLO, he falls under the authority of the Air Forces Northern National Security Emergency Preparedness Directorate at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The EPLO program is part of the Defense Support to Civil Authorities mission under Continental U.S. NORAD Region - 1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern). 

By the time Ike struck Galveston, the storm-weary EPLO was fatigued, having already assisted with Fay and Gustav. But he realized he needed to keep going, not knowing exactly how taxing his experience with the even larger Ike would be.

"Watching Ike was like seeing marbles dropped on a glass table," Colonel Ament said of the erratic path the storm took from the coast of Africa to the Caribbean, where it meandered in and around and damaged several islands, including Cuba, and then headed toward Louisiana before it eventually found landfall in Galveston.

For the next 33 hours, the coastal city became the site of his most physically demanding EPLO-related work ― coordinating and performing hospital evacuations with the Air Force Critical Care Transport Team. With the medical team, his main job was to coordinate the airlift of severely ill patients, some with acute coronary conditions, from local hospitals to safer cities farther inland.

But 'coordination' soon turned into actually helping load patients onto litters and carrying them into the waiting C-130s ― not exactly a defined EPLO task.

"There were only five of us to load more than 100 patients onto the planes to be flown to Dallas and San Antonio," Colonel Ament said of the stressful and strenuous evacuation experience. "It was extremely hot, hard work; many of the patients were critically ill and space was an issue. Although most patients were transported safely, we unfortunately lost four individuals to health-related complications."

With the medical evacuations done, he thought (hoped) he'd get a few hours of much-needed rest at a hotel in nearby Corpus Christi, where he had planned to ride out the storm. But that was not to be. Just 20 minutes later he learned that the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center had phoned AFNSEP, asking them for a search and rescue specialist to assist at a large sports arena in Houston.

AFNSEP immediately called Texas EPLO Col. Sean Kavenaugh, who then called Colonel Ament, who had assisted with search and rescue operations in the past. "I drove to Houston in 85 mph winds," he recalls of the harrowing highway experience, thankful, however, that he had learned to deal with similar storm conditions in Florida.

Once in Houston, "make-shift" was the order of the day.

The person who was supposed to be onsite as the main air planner, the same person who had created the official plan of action, was unable to be contacted because of technical communications problems and emergencies elsewhere in the state. 

No one seemed to know exactly what to do. So, Colonel Ament, realizing someone had to do something quickly, found a sheet of loose notebook paper ― the only writing paper available ― and hastily wrote a new plan of action on it. "It seemed to be the logical solution to our problem," he said wryly of the slightly semi-humorous situation.

Not long after, the impromptu plan was implemented in coordination with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard, and helicopters were soon rescuing people from rooftops. "I was definitely working outside of 'normal' EPLO duty," he said of the Houston experience.

Finally, with everything done that could be, three days later and a full six weeks from the day he began fighting hurricanes, the exhausted Reservist was released to return to his Florida home. "They told me to go home and wash my socks," he remarked laughingly of his fellow hurricane colleagues.

Formerly a combat rescue helicopter pilot and director of operations for the 301st Rescue Squadron at Patrick AFB, Fla., Colonel Ament is currently an American Airlines pilot on military leave for one year. In addition to EPLO duty, he has been serving as the director of staff, Partnering, for U.S. Southern Command.

He is also a long-time trained volunteer firefighter/paramedic and served as a volunteer helicopter pilot during five hurricanes from 1995 to 2005, including Hurricane Katrina. With this background, taking the EPLO assignment last year made complete sense.

Once called to duty, EPLOs normally serve as behind-the-scenes coordinators of Air Force and other Department of Defense resources, including making sure sufficient military planes, personnel and supplies are available at disaster sites if and when needed. They are trained to handle not only hurricanes, but also major floods, wildfires, national special security events, such as the Super Bowl, and more.

"The entire EPLO experience fits my lifestyle, and I'm ready to go wherever I am needed," Colonel Ament said, noting that he has been volunteering in various rescue squads since he was 16 and will continue to do so even beyond his EPLO service.

There are, he admits, challenges working as an EPLO―primarily handling major disaster events with limited outside direction or policy. He also knows, living in Florida with his wife, Susan, and children, Patrick and Shannon, that at any time he's away helping strangers survive a hurricane, his own family and property could face the threat of a similar storm. 

"We live on Merritt Island, a barrier island, and have had to evacuate five or six times," he said. "Fortunately, the island has never been hit dead center, so there's been no damage to my home."

Usually given advance weather warnings for hurricanes headed toward Florida's east coast, he makes sure his home's windows and doors are boarded up. And years ago, when building his house, he ensured the exterior was constructed with bomb shelter-quality concrete.

Despite the few drawbacks, the pluses of being an EPLO far outweigh the minuses, and Colonel Ament has learned that saving lives, relieving suffering, providing humanitarian assistance and mitigating property damage are worth every minute of his time.

He also enjoys the camaraderie and support of other DoD-appointed EPLOs, both in the Air Force and other branches of service. "We all rely on each other to make an insane situation a little more sane," he said.

Although the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season officially began in June, no significant activity has been reported as of late July. If and when a major storm actually does begin to form ― a likely occurrence in late summer ― Colonel Ament will be ready to wear his EPLO hat (and socks) once again. "I am ready to go if needed," he said.

Col. Kevin Mahaffey is AFNSEP's regional reserve director for Region IV, which includes Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North and South Carolina. He works directly with all Air Force EPLOs, including Colonel Ament, assigned to each of these states, coordinating their efforts with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The director is more than a little pleased with Colonel Ament's first-year service as an EPLO. He recognizes that not only has his Florida associate come to the position with remarkable qualifications, he has been an enthusiastic volunteer and willing to share his experiences with other EPLOs.

"He immediately established himself as an operational superstar and has shared his experiences and lessons learned in briefings and also as part of a training book," Colonel Mahaffey said. "As a new EPLO, he has certainly set the bar high for all of us working the DSCA mission, which will result in a higher level of support for U.S. citizens in need."