Ever since the Gulf Coast was hit by Hurricane Ike, Houston’s Ellington Airport (EFD) has played a key role to support the recovery and rescue efforts. On Wednesday, September 17, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters held a news conference to announce that the federal government is making $5 million available immediately to fund repairs to roads, bridges and airports damaged by Hurricane Ike. Federal funds will be available for repair and reconstruction work once damages assessed for the region’s transportation network have been completed. “These funds are a down payment on our commitment to the people of this region,” said Secretary Peters. “We will help reopen the roads so people can get back to their homes, and back to their lives, as quickly as possible.” Area airports that suffered damage from the hurricane will be able to receive $1 million in Airport Improvement Program funds immediately for repair work. The money would help pay for structural and engineering assessments needed to catalogue the widespread damages to airports. “These airports are absolutely vital to the economy of this area,” the Secretary said. “Getting communities reconnected to the skies is a good way to make sure this region soars again.” On Tuesday, September 16, President George W. Bush arrived at Ellington Airport for a briefing on damage from Hurricane Ike. Then he took an aerial tour of the region and got a briefing at Galveston Emergency Operations Center. “I'm now asking questions about how the federal government can help the response and help the recovery effort begin,” said President Bush.

© Houston Airport System U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters visits Ellington Airport.

The United States Military is flying C-130 aircraft into Ellington Airport to provide recovery support. Ellington Airport is ideal for hurricane missions since it has plenty of available land for staging of relief operations.

Ellington Airport will continue to serve a critical role on the road to recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff arrived at Ellington Airport Sunday, September 14, to tour hurricane damage by helicopter and again returned on Wednesday, September 17, to offer his support.

All airfield infrastructure and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) systems at Ellington Airport are fully operational including:

- FAA Control Tower – open 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) Station
- Three active runways – 9,000 foot, 8,000 foot and 4,600 foot
- FAA Navigational Systems

More than 20 Houston Airport System employees were on duty at Ellington Airport the day the Hurricane Ike hit and they moved quickly with airport tenants as a team to clear foreign object debris from the airfield so that the rescue and recovery efforts could begin. The first flight operations began at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, September 13, – about 9 hours after the eye of the hurricane passed over Ellington Airport with Category 2 winds.

Ellington Airport is home to numerous key organizations including the U.S. Coast Guard and NASA. On Saturday, September 13, the U.S. Coast Guard launched rescue efforts out of Houston’s Ellington Airport to coastal areas where hurricane victims were stranded and have operated dozens of helicopter flights to help victims.

Ellington Airport is owned and operated by the Houston Airport System , which also operates George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport.

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