During the month of March ‘23, Tulare County experienced record rainfall that led to large levee breaks and widespread flooding. Most of the breaks were inaccessible by traditional ground-based equipment, posing an even greater danger to the residents of Tulare County.
To help combat the crisis, CAL FIRE Tulare Unit contracted two Siller S-61A/V Sikorsky helicopters to help build back the levees and alleviate the damage caused by the torrential rainfall. Commencing in early March, the two copters flew into the Porterville, CA airport and started flying super sacks filled with rock and gravel to the damaged levee. Each super sack contained an average of 2,500 pounds of rock and gravel. The aircraft flew over 4,100 super sacks during the duration of the mission, amounting to over 10.2 million pounds of rock moved and then placed to secure the levee.
Providing disaster relief is just one of the multitude of missions that Siller’s fleet of aircraft can complete.
