SEADOG Was Again at the Ready ...

...during recent hurricanes Ike and Gustav, but issues remain for this ‘airports helping airports’ initiative. SEADOG – the Southeast Chapter Disaster Organizational Group – was formed following relief efforts by airports during the very active 2004 hurricane season. (The March 2008 cover story of AIRPORT BUSINESS offers more details on the program.) While Savannah International director Patrick Graham is recognized for getting the initiative started, he and others credit SAV’s director of operations Greg Kelly as the key cog in the SEADOG machinery. Says Kelly of the recent hurricane relief efforts, “Overall the operation went really well. We had a lot of participation by airports from around the country. We had conference calls; more coordination. We had state DOT aviation departments on the conference calls too -- from Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia -- which was key to our operation. In addition, the FAA and TSA joined our conference calls, which was helpful. ALPA was there, so we had the airlines’ input. And FEMA jumped in on a couple of conference calls as well. “Communication is better than it’s ever been; more agencies are involved; better execution.†Yet, challenges remain. “What we’re trying to do is to get a process set up like the utility companies, who just get rolling when a disaster strikes,†explains Kelly. It is an inter-agency issue, he says, involving counties, states, and the feds. Airports can play a greater role in preparing for a disaster and in playing a key role in the overall emergency response coordination effort, he says. “The problem is,†says Kelly, “if the state of Georgia, say, is flooded with calls, they may not process an airport request and may not recognize why we need an electrician from Jacksonville when other electricians are available. They don’t understand that an airport electrician is different. These are airport-specific requests, and a lot of them are out of state.†“What SEADOG does is identify airports that might get hit and identify where the aid will come from. Here is what we know we’ll need up front with a Category 3 about to hit us.†Adds John Clark, director of Jacksonville International, “We have to figure out a mechanism well in advance of hurricane season so that we get all the documentation done. It’s not the financial issue; it’s the liability issue. I don’t think any Florida airports responded this time because there was a lag in the necessary paperwork. But we can take care of that. It’s a program I think we will stay in. We’ve got to figure out how to get the paperwork and the releases of liability already set up in advance so that when we get the call we can just go.†Kelly says that the amount of airport participation in the voluntary relief effort has been “incredibleâ€. Improving the process will just facilitate airports helping airports in times of disaster. Thanks for reading. jfi