Northcom Tapped to Support Midwest Flooding Response

U.S. Northern Command

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., April 26, 2013 – At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Northern Command here today activated the Defense Coordinating Element for FEMA Region VIII in support of response efforts to flooding in the Midwest.

The DCE for FEMA Region VIII was activated to provide assessment and coordinate DOD assets should they be required following severely swollen river basins and will be assigned to the Regional Response Coordination Center.

DCE’s are normally a nine-person team that serves as the single point-of-entry for all local, tribal, state, and federal requests for DOD assistance. DCEs work closely with federal, state, tribal and local officials to determine what unique DOD capabilities can be brought to assist in mitigating the effects of the flooding.

In coordination with FEMA, the DOD will provide Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., as a federal staging area to support forward distribution of supplies or equipment to affected areas.

The Department of Defense has capabilities that can be used to save lives as well as many other unique support capabilities such as airlift, medical, communications and catastrophic planning.

Northcom is the joint combatant command formed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to provide homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities.

U.S. Army North provides defense support of civil authorities as the Army component of Northcom.