The Civil Air Patrol has flown 50 sorties—roughly half the Air Force total—for Hurricane Rita, providing photo reconnaissance of potential damage, oil spills, traffic congestion, flood assessment, and live multispectral imagery for state and federal agencies.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
