Northern Command commander surveys damage from Ike

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Matthew McGovern
  • Air Force News Agency
ELLINGTON FIELD, Texas (AFPN) --  The commander of U.S. Northern Command and other senior military leaders surveyed the Gulf Coast areas affected by Hurricane Ike Sept. 15 from HH-60G Pave Hawks. 

"We've seen an integrated team that has worked together pre-landfall and post-landfall to provide whatever Texas might need in terms of response to its citizens," Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. said. 

"The first and most important point is that military is a broad team effort -- active duty, National Guard, Reserve (from) all across the country -- to assist in this event. I feel very good about it," he said. 

Speaking in reference to his helicopter view, General Renuart said there was clearly a substantial amount of damage from Hurricane Ike, Galveston, Texas, in particular. From Galveston, the pilots flew helicopters north toward Beaumont, Texas. 

"We saw expensive homes destroyed. We saw mobile homes and trailers destroyed," General Renuart said. "Mother Nature doesn't discriminate, so we have to be in a position to try to help those citizens recover, respond and reconstruct their lives the best we can." 

"There were varying degrees of devastation," General Renuart said. "The good news is the local communities are back out. The state is building the distribution points for water, food and ice to help the neighborhoods recover. The federal partners, (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and others are trying to build the kind of capacity that will allow the response to continue over time." 

General Renuart said Northern Command's role is to be a team member to provide capabilities like aeromedical evacuation before the storm. 

"I feel it was a great team effort," he said. "They got hundreds of critical care patients out of harm's way. The search and rescue after the storm (helped) as an equal partner with the Coast Guard, FEMA, state of Texas National Guard, and their civilian agencies. Our job is to be a good teammate and I'm very pleased to see the way we've been able to do that." 

Army Lt. Gen. Charles G. Rodriguez, another helicopter passenger and adjutant general for the National Guard, said he is pleased with improvements of efforts after natural disasters. 

The military response continues to improve as a combined effort with the civilian authorities, General Rodriguez said. "We learn lessons every time we have one of these unfortunate kinds of disasters."

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

View the comments/letters page