201022-F-WH822-1002
U.S. Air Force Reserve Senior Master Sgt. Mark Zickefoose, a loadmaster assigned to the 910th Operations Group, makes final adjustments on the cargo deck of a C-130H Hercules aircraft assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing, based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio and equipped with a Modular Aerial Spray System, prior to take off from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, Oct. 22, 2020. The C-130 was conducting nighttime mosquito control aerial spray operations over Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Delta. The C-130s have been spraying since Oct. 20, 2020, and have treated nearly half a million acres to date. At the request of FEMA, and upon approval by the Department of Defense, U.S. Northern Command activated the 910th AW to provide aerial spray capability to assist civil authorities in Louisiana. Air Forces Northern, U.S. Northern Command's U.S. Air Force air component command, is the DoD operational lead for the mission. The 910th AW is home to the Department of Defense's only aerial spray capability and dedicated aerial spray maintenance flight. The last time the 910th AW supported Federal Emergency Management Agency hurricane recovery efforts with its aerial spray mission was 2017, when they treated 2.7 million acres of affected areas following Hurricane Harvey. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Noah J. Tancer)