CAP's Oklahoma Tornadoes Response

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - Dozens of personnel from Civil Air Patrol's Texas Wing remain on duty in Moore, Okla., performing photo damage assessment of homes, public buildings and businesses more than a week after a twister ripped through the town of about 45,000 residents.

"Texas Wing has been absolutely monumental in us completing the mission that FEMA has given us," said Capt. Rick Rutledge, public affairs officer for CAP's Oklahoma Wing. "They were able to send us members almost immediately after the tornado struck. We've had Texas Wing boots on the ground literally in less than 24 hours."

The EF-5 twister mowed its destructive path through Moore May 20, killing seven students when it demolished Plaza Towers Elementary School. Moore is located in the central part of the state and is considered part of Oklahoma City's metropolitan area. The area is known as "Tornado Alley."

CAP's role in the recovery phase involves detailing the destruction from both ground and air for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"We're literally having to send teams to each and every house and business that's been damaged. From the air side, we've been able to provide FEMA with high-definition photographs for the entire 17-mile track of the tornado," Rutledge said.

An estimated 80 CAP air and ground team members ? many of them teenage cadets ? from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Arkansas are augmenting 450 FEMA personnel who, by Memorial Day, had delivered 43,000 meals and 150,000 liters of water, along with thousands of cots, blankets and other comfort items. FEMA officials say 4,200 people have applied for disaster assistance. The agency has approved an estimated $3.4 million in emergency cash payments to victims of the tornado.

"Texas Wing is honored to have the opportunity to serve in the support mission for the Moore, Okla., tornado," said Col. Brooks Cima, Texas Wing commander.

Cima says approximately 30 Texas Wing members are in Oklahoma, providing air and ground communications and mission support in addition to performing damage assessment. She said CAP wings have a long tradition of supporting each other during emergencies.

"Oklahoma Wing has supported Texas when we've suffered from hurricanes," said Cima. "We owe them that same loyalty."

President Barack Obama toured the town over the Memorial Day Weekend to offer encouragement to Moore's citizens, thank first responders, survey the damage, and assure state and local officials that federal aid would be swift and long-term.

Moore previously suffered extensive damage from tornados on Oct. 4, 1998; May 3, 1999, May 8, 2003; and May 10, 2012. The 1999 twister was at the time considered the costliest in U.S. history.

Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress in 1941 with a 501(c)3 designation and pre-dates the Air Force. CAP consists of 61,000 unpaid professional members nationwide, and operates a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. Its unpaid professionals also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 26,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. CAP is a force multiplier to the Air Force CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 71 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans.

The Salvation Army is on the ground in Moore, Oklahoma with multiple canteens and personnel coordinating with Local and State Emergency Management to serve first responders and those affected by the tornado. We continue to provide service to hard hit areas from Tuesdays' storms which include Shawnee - multiple sites, Carney area, and Cleveland County.

Meals and hydration are being provided for first responders and those affected.   Major Steve Morris, Arkansas-Oklahoma Divisional Commander has been driving around the affected area.    Major Morris states "The devastation is far reaching both in human life, property and livestock loss.  The Salvation Army is honored to serve and provide sustenance to first responders involved in search and rescue, coordination efforts and more.  And, of course, all survivors will be provided spiritual and emotional care."

Canteens involved in the response from Oklahoma include Central Oklahoma Area Command (Oklahoma City), Ardmore, Enid, Lawton, McAlester and Muskogee.  Also, disaster response teams from Pine Bluff, Jonesboro and Hot Springs, Arkansas are en route to the Oklahoma City metropolitan area to assist in response.  Personnel from across the division are also traveling to the area to form a Divisional Incident Command Team (which helps coordinate the overall response for The Salvation Army).  Central Oklahoma Area Command has established a local Incident Command team for response.

The Salvation Army is ready to provide the services mentioned above for as long as we are needed.  Additional updates will be provided as more information becomes available.  Please follow us at  http://centralusa.salvationarmy.org, www.twitter.com/SalArmyAOKEDS, www.twitter.com/CindyFullerOKC, www.twitter.com/SalArmyAOK  and www.facebook.com/SalArmyAOK for additional information.

Cash donations allow The Salvation Army to purchase product to quickly and efficiently meet the most urgent needs of disaster victims.  When possible, the purchases are made near the disaster site to stimulate the local economy and ensure quicker delivery.It is easy to give to The Salvation Army:

· By phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)

· Online at www.salvationarmyusa.org

· By mail:

The Salvation Army - Disaster Relief

P.O. BOX 2536

Oklahoma City, OK 73102

Please make checks payable to "The Salvation Army" and clearly marked "May 2013 Oklahoma Tornadoes."

Text To Give:  You can also text the word "STORM" to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word "Yes."*

Your donations make a real difference.

• A $10 donation feeds a disaster survivor for one day.

• A $30 donation provides one food box, containing staple foods for a family of four, or one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and other cleaning supplies

• A $100 donation can serve snacks and drinks for 125 survivors and emergency personnel at the scene of a disaster.

• A $250 donation can provide one hot meal to 100 people or keep a hydration station operational for 24 hours

• A $500 donation keeps a Salvation Army canteen (mobile feeding unit) fully operational for one day Volunteers

The Salvation Army recruits and deploys disaster workers through its local Salvation Army units. To be trained as a disaster worker:

- Call the Quad Cities Salvation Army at 563-271-7933 to be added to the list for the next training.

The Salvation Army deploys trained disaster workers who have completed the 8-hour training course. A standard deployment is two weeks, including twelve working days and two travel days.   

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Leads Iowa House delegation response to April storm damage

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack, along with the entire Iowa Congressional delegation, called on President Obama to approve Governor Terry Branstad's request for a disaster declaration for 19 Iowa counties.  The declaration would assist counties that suffered significant damage caused by severe weather in late April.  If granted, the declaration would make these areas eligible for Public Assistance.

"I have toured and seen firsthand the damage that was caused by the severe storms and flooding that hit Iowa last month.  I call on the President to swiftly approve the Governor's request so communities that were affected can begin the recovery process and get the help they need."

Specifically, the counties of Appanoose, Cedar, Clinton, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines, Iowa, Johnson, Keokuk, Lee, Lucas, Marion, Monroe, Muscatine, Ringgold, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren and Wayne are included in this request.

A copy of the letter can be found here.

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"I have had great fortune with these books this past year," said author Tim Murphy. "25% of all the profits from the four titles sold in June will be donated to the Red Cross to assist the Oklahoma Tornado victims. If we sell at 2500 in June, I will double that to 50%."

How did these books come about?

"It all started when friends would show up at fishing and deer camp with cheese, bologna, beef jerky and beer. I would shake my head and 'say we do better this.' So I wrote the first book and it just took off," says author Tim Murphy. 

It was that idea that launched "Flannel John's Hunting & Fishing Camp Cookbook" in October 2013.  His first "Cookbook for Guys" cracked Amazon.com's "Top 1%" Sales category in six weeks.

Why cookbooks for guys? "I just didn't see anything written for men, especially novice cooks," said Murphy. "I wanted to assemble, hearty, good tasting meals that could be prepared easily and quickly. That first book covered breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, deserts and drinks. It was aimed at hunters and anglers but it's perfect for campers, RVers, male or female."

Now Murphy has penned the third and fourth titles in a planned ten-book series. For fish and seafood aficionados there's "Flannel John's Pirate Galley Cookbook - Coastal Cuisine and Maritime Meals from Oceans, Lakes and Rivers." For the backwoods, rustic soul there is "Flannel John's Mountain Man Cookbook - Frontier Food from the Hills, Country and Backwoods."

"The Pirate Galley Cookbook focuses on seafood dishes, lake and river fish recipes with a touch of southern cooking," said Murphy. "If you like albacore, lobster, sea bass, crab, lake trout, salmon and walleye this is for you. It covers dishes from the west coast, Alaska, the Gulf, Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, New England and the Bayou."

"The Mountain Man Cookbook goes real old school with recipes that go as far back as the mid-1800s. It features pioneer recipes and country staples like corn pone, hard tack, rhubarb cake, venison stew and sourdough plus new twists on older dishes." Both books feature over 110 recipes and in keeping with past titles, are simple for guys to pull.

The second title, released in February 2014,"Flannel John's Woods & Water Cookbook: Critters, Fritters, Chili & Beer" featured wild game recipes like Mountain Bear Stew, Rasta Mon Squirrel and Rattlesnake Chili with traditional dishes including burgers, stews, corn breads, chilies, chicken and beer.

But who is Flannel John? 

Born in northern Wisconsin and raised in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, he is equal parts Babe Winkelman, Red Green, Grizzly Adams, Ted Nugent and crusty mountain man. He has hunted and fished in 40 states plus Canada and Mexico. He is, in essence, Murphy's alter-ego.

"I've crossed paths with men like him over the years. This was my way of acknowledging their spirit and thanking them," said Murphy. 

Flannel John summed up the first book best. "If you're tracking deer in the U.P woods, searching for elk in Colorado, bird hunting on the Dakota prairies or ice fishing in Minnesota...food keeps the camp sane. A hearty breakfast or sustainable snack sharpens the senses. That end of the day dinner can celebrate bringing down a ten-point buck or be warming comfort when the deer tag goes unfilled. Breaking bread, eating from the community pot and telling stories around the table bonds all outdoorsmen. A good meal always makes for a good day."

Future releases include "Flannel John's Tailgating Grub & Couch Potato Cookbook" in July and "Flannel John's Cabin Christmas Cookbook" in September. 

Tim Murphy is a graduate of Western Michigan University. This 23-year radio veteran spent 17-years hosting morning radio shows in several Michigan cities including Holland, Muskegon, Traverse City, Saginaw and Houghton plus Fargo, North Dakota, Stevens Point, Wisconsin and Ketchikan, Alaska. Murphy has had a long career as a freelance and comedy writer. His work has appeared in dozens of outlets including Backwoods Home Magazine, The Porcupine Press U.P. Magazine, National Lampoon, The Traverse City Record Eagle and ABC Radio Network. 

He lives in Oregon with his wife LisaMarie Costanzo. 

All four Flannel John books are $7.95 and are available through Amazon.com and at flanneljohn.com. For additional information on the books, to interview the author or to inquire about wholesale book pricing, contact Tim Murphy at (701) 238-1775 or E-mail him at shamrockarrow@gmail.com.

"I have had great fortune with these books," said Murphy. "25% of the profits from all the books sold in June will be donated to the Red Cross to assist the Oklahoma Tornado victims. If we sell at 2500 in June, I will double that to 50%."

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