Tue Oct 01 02:58:49 UTC 2024: ## National Guard Mobilized, DoD Provides Extensive Support Following Hurricane Helene Devastation

Following the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene, the Department of Defense has mobilized extensive resources and personnel to support relief efforts in the Southeast. The U.S. National Guard is playing a crucial role, with over 700 North Carolina Guardsmen joined by additional units from Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, New York, South Carolina, and Florida.

The Guard is providing essential support to communities, including:

* **Warehousing support**
* **High-water vehicle deployment**
* **Law enforcement assistance**
* **Search and rescue operations**
* **Route clearance**
* **Evacuation support**

Individual states have activated significant numbers of Guardsmen, with Florida deploying nearly 3,500 personnel, Georgia mobilizing 800, South Carolina activating 600, Tennessee deploying 130, and Virginia activating 50.

The active-duty military is also involved, with U.S. Northern Command deploying a joint enabling capability team to Nashville, Tennessee, and a liaison to the federal search and rescue coordination group in Orlando, Florida.

A federal team staging facility has been established at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, with additional incident staging bases at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The Civil Air Patrol is supporting disaster operations, including damage assessment in North Carolina and South Carolina.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing emergency power planning and response teams to Georgia, dam, levee, and bridge inspections to Tennessee and Kentucky, and temporary power to North Carolina.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Department leadership are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with federal, state, and local officials to ensure efficient resource allocation. The DoD remains committed to supporting the recovery efforts and will continue to provide assistance to affected communities.

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