U.S. Department of Defense

Air National Guard Assists in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Members of the Iowa Air National Guard's 185th Air Refueling Wing unload their gear at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 15, 2008. State officials activated the National Guard to the help with recovery efforts after massive flooding caused evacuations from towns along major rivers.

Air Force Lt. Col. Joe Ascherl, Iowa Air National Guard, talks to airmen in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 15, 2008. More than 150 airmen, assigned to the 185th Air Refueling Wing, are helping to secure and recover areas that were affected by flood waters. Ascherl is the mission support commander for the 185th Air Refueling Wing, located in Sioux City, Iowa.

Iowa Air National Guard airmen unload a KC-135 Stratotanker on the Eastern Iowa Airport flightline in Cedar Springs, Iowa, June 15, 2008. More than 150 airmen arrived in Cedar Rapids to help secure and recover areas affected by flood waters.

Air Force Airman 1st Class Dan DeJong unloads a school bus filled with Meals, Ready to Eat and sleeping bags, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 15, 2008.

Checkpoints have been set up throughout the flood-damaged areas of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 15, 2008. Once their homes have been inspected and identified as non-hazardous, residents are allowed in on a limited basis to recover personal items and valuables.

Air Force Staff Sgt. David Smith gives detour directions to a resident trying to return home after massive flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 15, 2008.

Residents of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, wait at a checkpoint to hear if they will to be allowed to return home after massive flooding overwhelmed much of the city, June 15, 2008.

Debris and water surround hundreds of homes in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 15, 2008. More than 150 Air National Guardsmen arrived in Cedar Rapids to help secure and recover areas that were affected by flood waters.

A resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, receives a wristband, signifying approval to return home, June 15, 2008. Residents are allowed to return to their homes during designated times to recover personal items and valuables.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Gregg Pedersen stands post outside the Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 15, 2008. Pedersen, a member of the Iowa Air National Guard, checks employees into the hospital by having workers sign in and wear a green wristband indicating they were cleared through a checkpoint.

Members of the Iowa Air National Guard's 185th Air Refueling Wing unload their gear at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 15, 2008. State officials activated the National Guard to the help with recovery efforts after massive flooding caused evacuations from towns along major rivers.
U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jack Braden