Relief for hurricane relief pilots

As relief efforts continue, the private charitable organization Sedona Ltd. has created a program to defray pilots’ fuel expenses. Sedona, which specializes in providing emergency financial assistance to people who otherwise have limited access to support, was looking for ways that a small organization could help. With the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies focusing on traditional disaster relief, Sedona started the Aviation Land Emergency Response Transportation Support, or ALERTS, project.

ALERTS helps organizations and individuals recoup transportation costs related to assisting victims of natural disasters. Sedona may reimburse fuel costs for private pilots flying supplies to areas affected by disasters and cover some organizational and individual fuel costs for land transportation as well. Fuel reimbursement of $150 will be made on a one-time-only basis, the group said.

Dr. Stephen Green, who heads Sedona, said this is the organization’s first time working with pilots. He learned about the recent GA relief flights from his son-in-law, who owns an airplane and flew supplies into western North Carolina from a local airport.

Sedona decided to help defray pilots’ transportation expenses after finding that there was no similar assistance available elsewhere. Green said the group also considers the reimbursement “as a way of saying ‘thank you’ to the pilots and aircraft owners for generously offering their services and aircraft to assist in this disaster.”

Nongovernmental organizations and individual volunteers may apply online for partial reimbursement for transportation expenses incurred while aiding victims; pilots can use Sedona’s pilot fuel reimbursement form.