Aviation Charities Work To Support Texas Flood Victims

Following the devastating flooding in Texas on Friday that claimed at least 100 lives with scores of people still missing, business aviation operators have swung into action to deliver critical supplies to those affected in Kerr County and the Guadalupe River area. Leading the effort is Operation Airdrop, a Texas-based disaster relief nonprofit founded in 2017 by a group of aviation enthusiasts, and part of NBAA’s Humanitarian Emergency Response Operator (HERO) database.

Operation Airdrop established supply bases at the Commemorative Air Force Museum at Burnet Municipal Airport (KBMQ) near Kerrville and at the Million Air FBO at Dallas-area Addison Airport (KADS) to accept donated goods and equipment. The latter handled approximately $50,000 in goods, and the FBO itself donated more than $5,000 in fuel, according to Jeff Zimmerman, v-p of FBO services for Million Air Dallas.

Among the items in high demand are tools such as chainsaws and shovels, cleaning supplies including mops and brooms, and N95 face masks. All of the donations will be consolidated at KBMQ and distributed within the impacted area.

Airlink, another aviation charity, is working to transport volunteer search-and-rescue crews to the region by leveraging its partnerships with airlines such as United, American, JetBlue, and Southwest. With more rain forecasted for the area this week, the Washington, D.C.-based group has thus far transported nearly 100 volunteers to help fill the urgent need for rescue, emergency management planning, recovery, and clean-up.

The group—which marks its 15th anniversary this year—noted that many of the communities affected by these recent floods are connected by a single road. With parts of that artery blocked or washed out, those communities are now isolated, rendering residents unable to reach medical care or food supplies, and hindering the movement of emergency response vehicles. Airlink said its volunteers are key to restoring that access.