National Guard in four states prepare for Hanna

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke
  • National Guard Bureau Public Affairs
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFPN) --  Officials in four states along the East Coast are employing their National Guard units as Tropical Storm Hanna nears.

Officials in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have almost 40,000 Army and Air National Guard members available to their governors, if needed. This includes almost 11,000 in North Carolina, 9,000 in Florida, 11,000 in South Carolina and 9,000 in Georgia.

"The National Guard is prepositioning several multi-function force packages of trained people and equipment that will be used for transportation, distribution of supplies, ground evacuation, swift water rescue and security of impacted areas," said Army Maj. Randall Short, a public affairs officer with the National Guard Bureau. 

Forecasters in Florida and Georgia expect to avoid a hit from Hanna, but two Air National Guard units in those states have evacuated their aircraft none-the-less. Officials in the 125th Fighter Wing in Jacksonville, Fla., have evacuated 13 F-15 Eagles to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Officials in the 165th Airlift Wing in Savannah, Ga., have evacuated four C-130 Hercules aircraft to McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Knoxville, Tenn.

In South Carolina, Gov. Mark Sanford announced in a briefing Sept. 4 that about 250 Soldiers from the South Carolina National Guard will remain on standby.

He also asked for the voluntary evacuation of two counties in the northeast section of the state, Georgetown and Horry. Three emergency shelters in those areas would be opened for anyone needing assistance.

At McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C., officials with the Army National Guard plan to shelter all of their aviation assets on base, while officials with the 169th Fighter Wing will keep 12 of their F-16 Fighting Falcons in hangars. The unit's 12 remaining F-16s and one C-130 will be evacuated to Texas on Friday, said Maj. Jim St. Clair, a public affairs officer with the South Carolina Air National Guard.

In North Carolina, Gov. Mike Easley ordered 270 Guardmembers to state active duty on Sept. 3 in preparation for the storm.

Guardmembers will start arriving for duty Sept. 4 and will be in place on Sept. 5, said Army Maj. Matt Handley, the state public affairs officer for the North Carolina National Guard.

Officials with the North Carolina National Guard will field several Multifunction Force Packages of about 50 personnel each, which are capable of providing security, ground evacuation, transportation, and are equipped with swift water rescue personnel, according to a press release from the state.

Other Guardmembers will provide logistics support, and there are six UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters on standby to conduct missions if needed, the release stated.

North Carolina Guard planners also met with state emergency management personnel over the last several days to finalize plans as the storm approached. All state active-duty missions are coordinated through the state emergency management agency.

The North Carolina Guard has mobilized for numerous hurricanes and brings a great deal of knowledge and expertise to these types of operations, Major Handley said. The last deployment for a hurricane was in 2006, when North Carolina officials mobilized about 220 personnel for Tropical Storm Ernesto.

Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine declared a state of emergency in his state today in anticipation of Hanna. He authorized state agencies to identify and preposition resources for quick response anywhere they are needed in Virginia, according to a press release from the governor's office.

Officials at the Virginia Emergency Operations Center have increased their operations in response to this declaration, and officials with the Virginia National Guard have personnel alerted and on standby for potential response and recovery missions associated with the storm, the release stated.
 
"Current forecasts predict Hanna will bring tropical storm-force winds to Virginia, causing coastal flooding and the very real possibility of tornadoes and power outages," Governor Kaine said in a press release. "Virginians should listen to their local government representatives and local news media for instructions for the duration of the storm."

Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report that as of Sept. 4 the center of Hanna was located about 205 miles east of Nassau and about 670 miles south-southeast of Wilmington, N.C.

The storm is moving toward the northwest at about 14 mph, which expected to continue for the next couple of days with a gradual increase in speed, according to NOAA storm trackers. On this track, the center of Hanna will be near the southeast coast of the United States late Sept. 5. 

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