North Carolina Guard Stands Ready

September 2, 2010
Courtesy of North Carolina National Guard Public Affairs
Raleigh, NC, United States

The North Carolina National Guard has 94 personnel on state Active Duty in preparation for Hurricane Earl. Soldiers and Airmen reported to various locations in eastern North Carolina last night, with the majority in Edenton, NC, to begin preparing to support emergency operations. There are an additional 150 Guard members on standby. These Soldiers and Airmen will be used for command and control, working as liaisons in North Carolina Emergency Management field offices, assisting in logistics operations, and providing a variety of security or reconnaissance assistance to emergency personnel. Additionally, two UH-60 Black Hawk aircraft and crews are on duty, awaiting missions, at their headquarters in Salisbury, NC.

The North Carolina Guard will continue to work together with North Carolina Emergency Management authorities to identify critical needs throughout this emergency. The  North Carolina National Guard utilizes a “Force Package” concept that is specifically designed to address a wide variety of disaster support needs. These Force Packages range from engineering and security to logistical assets, aviation, power generation, route clearance and transportation.

The  North Carolina National Guard has approximately 12,000 Soldiers and Airmen in its ranks, with almost 850 mobilized for federal Active Duty for overseas service. The Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen of the  North Carolina Guard have mobilized for numerous hurricanes and bring a great deal of knowledge and expertise to hurricane relief operations.