Since Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26, the Department of Defense has been in close contact with local, state, and federal partners to support and coordinate response efforts.
In North Carolina, where the hurricane caused significant damage and flooding, National Guardsmen from Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, New York, South Carolina, and Florida have joined over 700 North Carolina Guardsmen. This multi-state effort aims to deliver relief to affected communities. Across the broader Southeast region, National Guardsmen are providing warehousing support, high-water vehicles, law enforcement assistance, search and rescue operations, route clearance, evacuation support, and more.
Florida is conducting emergency response missions in numerous counties with nearly 3,500 Guardsmen. They are supported by hundreds of tactical vehicles and boats as well as 11 rotary wing assets. Georgia has activated around 800 Guardsmen to assist state and local governments. South Carolina has mobilized nearly 600 Guardsmen along with two helicopters for recovery efforts. Tennessee has approximately 130 Guardsmen and seven helicopters active. Virginia has activated nearly 50 Guardsmen along with one helicopter and several high-water vehicles. On the active-duty side of operations, U.S. Northern Command deployed a joint enabling capability team to Nashville and sent a liaison to the federal search and rescue coordination group in Orlando.
A federal team staging facility has been set up at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery with additional incident staging bases at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany in Georgia; Robins Air Force Base in Georgia; and Fort Campbell in Kentucky. A mission assignment support team is integrated with the National Response Coordination Center in Washington D.C., while the Civil Air Patrol is activated for disaster operations support including damage assessment in North Carolina and South Carolina.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is offering emergency power planning teams to Georgia as well as dam inspection services to Tennessee and Kentucky alongside temporary power solutions for North Carolina. A command-and-control team for high water vehicles and air operations support for rotary wing aircraft is established at Fort Liberty in North Carolina. Four rotary wing search-and-rescue aircraft along with pararescue teams have been deployed to McGee-Tyson Airport in Tennessee. As of Monday eight Army helicopters and ten Navy helicopters will be stationed at Fort Liberty while thirty high-water vehicles are staged at Fort Campbell.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen Pat Ryder stated: "As the DoD continues to aid response efforts," adding that Secretary Austin "and Department leaders will continue to be engaged" ensuring resources are available for a coordinated response effort." He concluded by saying that "the Department will continue to keep our fellow Americans who have been impacted by this storm’s devastation in our thoughts."
