This year’s annual Thunder Run exercise brought an extraordinary display of collaboration, preparedness, and community spirit to Bellingham International Airport (BLI). The event, designed to test and improve the use of general aviation in emergency scenarios, focused on food collection and aerial distribution to support food banks across Washington State and the West Coast. The goal? To better prepare for a major disaster like a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.
Using small to medium aircraft, food was transported from the central hub at BLI to multiple satellite locations, simulating how critical supplies could be moved quickly in a real crisis. The tarmac buzzed with activity—at one point nearly overflowing with aircraft—captured in incredible live footage from the day’s operations.
The DART (Disaster Airlift Response Team) ground crew at BLI, demonstrated remarkable flexibility by redeploying mid-exercise from a satellite site—an unprecedented move that kept operations running smoothly under pressure.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who made the event possible, especially the dedicated staff at Bellingham International Airport, Bellingham Aviation Services, and the outstanding Air Traffic Control team who expertly handled the surge in air traffic.
From pilots and ground teams to ham radio operators, volunteers, donors, community partners, and emergency responders, Thunder Run 2025 showcased what’s possible when we come together for resilience and readiness.
Videos from the day’s event can be found below.
Thunder Run 2025, Hope From Above
Part One – Flight to BLI to pick up food
Part Two – Flight back to Boeing Field
This content provided by Sky Terry
NW Regional Emergency Services Director
EVAC Emergency Volunteer Air Corps
www.evac.org