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Operation LENTUS – Domestic Operations 2018 - current [Merged]

NavyShooter said:
The O-Group I attended at 2130 last evening had discussions about many areas outside of HRM - yesterday's work was pushed out in the local area because of proximity to the base and IRU. 

One of the discussion points was the MKT's that came along - there's 3 present, one from the SvcBn in Willow Park - the 2 that came with the IRU are both available to be pushed out to where the troops will be working - and both Lawrencetown and Sydney were mentioned in discussions.  So, the reach of the response will be broad, and not solely focused on the city itself, and in the very first day's plans, the entire breadth of the province was discussed and considered.

NS

This definitely sounds different than 2003, in a good way!
 
Where I am in Dartmouth it was and wasn't that bad.  Lost power from about 3pm to about 7pm the next day.  The trees that I did see down looked like they had shallow roots and the water soaking really softened up the soil. letting them be pulled down more easy.  Neighbours house lost some siding, but not too bad. 

Given how long it takes a tree to grow I would bet dollars to donuts that the damage isn't as bad partially because Juan did such a number.  There are forests/woodlots around Halifax that are still recovering from Juan.

Honestly from a "intensity" perspective I've been in way worse storms in Ontario, BC and Quebec.  However those were generally very isolated (barring the ice storm) where as damage from this storm is everywhere.  There is damage all over Nova Scotia right now.  The Dockyard was still without power this morning.
 
Article Link

Army response to hurricane Dorian gets off to slow start in Dartmouth

The plan for Canadian Armed Forces soldiers to assist in the cleanup of debris in the wake of hurricane Dorian got off to a slow start on Monday.

Approximately 300 soldiers — mostly from CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick — have been assigned to Operation LENTUS.

On Monday morning, soldiers were deployed to Dartmouth, Yarmouth, Sydney, Liverpool, Lunenburg and Amherst.

Soldiers arrived in Dartmouth in three light armoured vehicles fully prepared to clear a heavy maple tree that brought down power lines as it fell, partially blocking a pathway on Lyngby Avenue.

Lt. Gabriel Picard was tasked with removing the large tree blocking the street.

“We are here to support the local authorities and to help things return to normal after the passage of hurricane Dorian,” said Picard, troop commander with 4 Engineer Support Regiment, based at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

Unfortunately, the soldiers left two hours later without having touched the tree. Without an electrician to ensure the site was safe, the soldiers put away their chainsaw and left to take a break.

The unit was successful in moving a slab of sidewalk in the area and the soldiers were able to quickly pack up and move on to another area.

Dartmouth resident Sherri MacDonald said she and her neighbours were grateful for the army’s assistance.

“When I drove up here a few minutes ago, it was a little shocking,” she said as onlookers gathered along the sun-drenched sidewalk.

“But I’m also really thankful that we have all of these folks out cleaning up our city and helping us get things back to normal.”

MacDonald said the storm temporarily cut power to her home on Richards Drive, but her property was not damaged.

“I do know that it wreaked havoc all over the city,” she said. “People can’t get to work. The power is out. Lines are down. Trees are blocking the way. I know that lots of folks had damage to their cars and their houses… I think it was a pretty significant impact.”

Soldiers deployed on Operation LENTUS are being sent where they are most needed and an additional 400 troops are being held in reserve if their assistance becomes necessary.


Okay, maybe not so different than 2003 was then?  ;D

What's with the body armour... ???
 
Article Link

Canadian soldiers armed with chainsaws clear debris left in Dorian's wake

Dartmouth resident Sherri MacDonald said she and her neighbours were grateful for the army's assistance

HALIFAX — Canadian soldiers armed with chainsaws fanned out across the Halifax area on Monday to help clean up the tangled mess of fallen trees and power lines left behind by post-tropical storm Dorian.

Their high-profile deployment — carried out under bright sunshine — was part of a wider effort to deal with power outages that have left much of the Maritimes in the dark for two days.

Utility companies in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. are facing a massive task in restoring electricity to hundreds of thousands of customers.




In Nova Scotia, the province that sustained the most damage from Dorian's hurricane-force winds, almost 200,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity on Monday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, three of the Canadian Army's light armoured vehicles were dispatched to a neighbourhood on the east side of Halifax harbour, where Lt. Gabriel Picard was tasked with removing a large maple tree blocking a residential street.

"We are here to support the local authorities and to help things return to normal after the passage of hurricane Dorian," said Picard, troop commander with 4 Engineer Support Regiment, based at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick.

"Our main priority is to clear the roads and to make sure that people without power are safe."

However, Picard and his squad couldn't start cutting up the uprooted tree because its top branches were still tangled in utility wires on the far side of the street. Without an electrician to ensure the site was safe, the soldiers put away their chainsaw and left to take a break.

As their green armoured vehicles rumbled through Dartmouth, the soldiers were greeted with waves and shouts of encouragement from children on the sidewalk, enjoying a day off from school.

Dartmouth resident Sherri MacDonald said she and her neighbours were grateful for the army's assistance.

"When I drove up here a few minutes ago, it was a little shocking," she said as onlookers gathered along the sun-drenched sidewalk.

"But I'm also really thankful that we have all of these folks out cleaning up our city and helping us get things back to normal."

MacDonald said the storm temporarily cut power to her home on Richards Drive, but her property was not damaged.

"I do know that it wreaked havoc all over the city," she said. "People can't get to work. The power is out. Lines are down. Trees are blocking the way. I know that lots of folks had damage to their cars and their houses .... I think it was a pretty significant  impact."

About 300 soldiers from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in central New Brunswick were brought in to help with the cleanup and another 400 "immediate reaction forces" were on standby.

On Sunday, Nova Scotia Power CEO Karen Hutt said the privately owned utility was facing a "worst case scenario" after Dorian roared over the middle of the province.

She said that even with the help of utility crews from Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Florida and Maine, it would likely be Wednesday before the lights are back on in all areas of the province.

Many schools across Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island were closed Monday, and emergency officials have been urging people to stay home — both for their own safety and to give cleanup crews the room they need to work.

In New Brunswick, more than 80,000 homes and businesses were without electricity at the peak of the storm on Saturday.

NB Power spokesman Marc Belliveau said that number had been reduced to about 10,000 by midday Monday, and he expected most of those would be reconnected by Monday night.

"The damage is widespread, so you might have one area where there are several hundred people that can be re-energized with one repair," he said.

"But in another area that's going to take you just as long to cut trees and do repairs, there might be one or two houses. That's going to be the ongoing challenge in the next couple of days."

On Prince Edward Island, Maritime Electric said efforts to restore power were slow-going.

"Due to the nature of the work, some customers may be without power until the end of the week," the utility wrote on its Twitter feed.

Meanwhile, many marinas around the Maritimes were left battered by Dorian's storm surges.

Boat owners at the Shediac Bay Yacht Club in New Brunswick were assessing damage Monday after strong winds and waves tossed boats around like toys.

"This is the worst we have ever seen," said Gilles Brine, a member of the club's executive.

"There are three boats that are on the rocks from the marina side, and on the slip side, there are about 20 boats that are on top of each other."

At the height of the storm, waves were crashing over the marina's breakwater, he said.

On Monday, crews were removing boats and damaged sections of the wharf.

In Nova Scotia, residents were being warned to be careful when using generators.

The Canadian Red Cross says a fire sparked by a generator damaged a historic general store in Petit Riviere, which is along Nova Scotia's southwestern shore.


Seems like a more positive outlook on the same story.
 
Underway said:
There is damage all over Nova Scotia right now.

Not even just to NS;  even though it was not expected to affect PEI other than the eastern portion, there is a significant area of damage centered around Summerside/Kensington in Prince County (western end of the Island).

 
OP STORM CHIPS is a go.

https://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/canadian-armed-forces-to-help-blizzard-ravaged-newfoundland-399922/

Canadian Armed Forces to help blizzard-ravaged Newfoundland
The Telegram

Premier Dwight Ball says request was made to federal government for assistance
The Canadian Armed Forces have been called in to help Newfoundland and Labrador dig out from a record-breaking blizzard.

Premier Dwight Ball made the announcement shortly after 4 p.m.

He said a request was made to the federal government for assistance, including mobilizing the armed forces, "to provide relief" to areas of the province affected by severe weather.

There are no details yet as to when the help will arrive, how many troops will be mobilized, or what areas will be a priority.

The Telegram will update this story when further details are available.
 
From the CAF OPS Facebook page:

This evening, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has commenced planning and begun activating forces to support the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador following an unprecedented winter storm. Our expected tasks will be to assist with snow removal, provide residents with transportation to warming or emergency centres, and ensure the elderly and those with health concerns are cared for.

We stand with Canadians in their time of need. Your community is also our community.

As we work closely with federal and provincial levels of government, we are also taking steps to pre-position military aircraft, equipment and personnel so that work can begin in the affected communities as early as tomorrow (Sunday Jan 19). This also includes enhancing our ability to conduct search and rescue operations out of Gander, Newfoundland.

The deployment of personnel on Operation LENTUS 20-01, will rely heavily on our Reserve Force personnel who reside in the communities hit hardest. For those who answer the call, we appreciate your dedication. Elements of Joint Task Force Atlantic’s Immediate Response Unit, based out of Gagetown, New Brunswick and Royal Canadian Air Force assets throughout Canada will also contribute to the CAF’s response to this situation.
 
Not a Sig Op said:
VOCM is every Newfoundlander's favourite news source...
I once worked with a Newfoundlander who said the same thing #VoiceOfTheCommonMan
 
Seems CYYT is now open for medivac and military flights only...
 
I will drop this here.  I bet points on both sides.  My only comment is also is good for the taxpayer and average person to see the CAF out. 

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/growing-natural-disaster-response-risks-dulling-armys-fighting-edge-commander/ar-BBZ8vHC?ocid=spartanntp

 
Every picture that shows up on social media of a handful of troops standing around holding shovels next to a smiling grandmother who was just freed from her basement apartment is a huge public relations win for the forces...

Don't forget, the average Canadian is only vaguely aware Canada has an army/navy/air force...

While it may not be beneficial for fighting skills, every aid to civil power is at least a very effective exercise of logistics...
 
Not a Sig Op said:
Every picture that shows up on social media of a handful of troops standing around holding shovels next to a smiling grandmother who was just freed from her basement apartment is a huge public relations win for the forces...

Don't forget, the average Canadian is only vaguely aware Canada has an army/navy/air force...

While it may not be beneficial for fighting skills, every aid to civil power is at least a very effective exercise of logistics...

... and if you talk to the troops who deploy on these operations, many find it some of the most important and fulfilling work they've ever done, especially now that we're in in 'No Tours No Man's Land'.
 
Not sure if this the proper location for this, but I was checking out the ADB-Exchange and noticed a RCAF CC-130J that departed Fredericton, NB about three hours ago and is presently in an oblong orbit off the east coast of Newfoundland. Not an expert in this so I don't know if its an actual SAR operation or just an exercise. The attached image shows the a/c flight path and its in its 12th (or so) orbit.

Update: Has now departed orbit and headed east. Looks like making final approach to St John's Airport.
 

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I will venture a guess that the weather at YYT is poor, that this is reinforcements for the soldiers already on the ground, and that there was finally a break in the weather that permitted them to land.
 
dapaterson said:
I will venture a guess that the weather at YYT is poor, that this is reinforcements for the soldiers already on the ground, and that there was finally a break in the weather that permitted them to land.

That makes perfect sense. Had something similar happen to me in '95 flying into Sarajevo airport, except it wasn't weather that was the cause for the delay. [:D

Checked another flight tracker and same a/c has been flying back and forth between Fredericton and St John's since yesterday. My bad.
 
Retired AF Guy said:
Not sure if this the proper location for this, but I was checking out the ADB-Exchange and noticed a RCAF CC-130J that departed Fredericton, NB about three hours ago and is presently in an oblong orbit off the east coast of Newfoundland. Not an expert in this so I don't know if its an actual SAR operation or just an exercise. The attached image shows the a/c flight path and its in its 12th (or so) orbit.

Update: Has now departed orbit and headed east. Looks like making final approach to St John's Airport.

dapaterson said:
I will venture a guess that the weather at YYT is poor, that this is reinforcements for the soldiers already on the ground, and that there was finally a break in the weather that permitted them to land.

Correct there was freezing rain so....
 
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