Guard members assist with oil spill Published May 4, 2010 By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill National Guard Bureau ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- National Guard Citizen Airmen and Soldiers are on the ground in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida supporting civilian authorities tackling the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. "We're dealing with a massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster," President Barack Obama said during a Gulf Coast visit May 2. "The oil that is still leaking from the well could seriously damage the economy and the environment of our Gulf states and it could extend for a long time," he said. "It could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of Americans who call this place home." The Louisiana National Guard will assist local communities in the cleanup and removal of oil and protect critical habitats from contamination, according to a news release. In Alabama, troops from the 711th Bridge Support Battalion were out May 2 placing barriers around Dauphin Island, according to Governor Bob Riley's office. The barriers are filled with a chemical compound that solidifies if oil seeps into the barrier; the solidified material can be removed, disposed of safely and replaced as necessary. Florida officials sent Guardmembers to a unified command center in Alabama and to their own emergency operations center in Tallahassee. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour ordered his Guard members to aid local officials with emergency response. By this morning, over 1,800 National Guard troops had been placed on Title 32 status to assist in Louisiana. Among other duties, the Guardmembers are providing command and control and sandbagging support to St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, Guard officials reported. Guard members are expected to provide security, medical capabilities, engineers, communications support and clean-up, a spokesman for Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal told reporters. Boats, all-terrain vehicles, dump trucks, security vehicles and communications equipment are among Guard resources deploying to the affected area. National Guard members are supporting what the president characterized as "an all-hands-on-deck, relentless response to this crisis." Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen is serving as the national incident commander for the response. Governor Jindal requested federal funding on April 29 to pay for up to 6,000 National Guard troops to assist. Pentagon approval came April 30, though Defense Department officials noted that the governor could deploy his Guard at any time. "Governor Jindal has the authority vested in him to deploy his National Guard forces in the event of an emergency and can do so at a time of his choosing," Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary said. On May 3, a Defense Department spokesman confirmed that officials from Alabama, Florida and Mississippi have filed similar requests for a federal mobilization of the Guard.