From an Arkansas National Guard
News Release
VILONIA, Ark., April 28, 2014 –
More Arkansas National Guard members have been called to active duty to help
residents of the state recover from a deadly tornado that swept through the
communities of Mayflower and Vilonia Sunday.
Reports say the twister left at
least 18 people dead.
In addition to the 54 soldiers
called to state active duty overnight to assist local authorities with traffic
control, search and rescue, and medical evacuation, an additional six Guard
members were tasked early this morning to deliver several fresh water trailers
to support the needs of local residents and the vast number of volunteers.
The Arkansas Department of
Emergency Management also passed a request from the Faulkner County judge for
the National Guard to provide a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and crew to conduct
low-level aerial search over the shore line of Lake Conway and through the
wooded areas in the path of the storm for additional victims.
Initially, 46 members of the
Arkansas National Guard were called to state active duty to assist local
authorities in the hard-hit communities. That first call-out and subsequent
responses from Guard members brought the grim realization that numerous
Guardsmen and their family members were directly affected. Within the first few
hours following the storm, both Army and Air National Guard members began to
check in with their commanders and on each other - neighbor to neighbor.
The Arkansas National Guard
confirmed that one member perished when the tornado struck Vilonia. The name is
being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.
Additionally, dozens of Guard
members' homes were damaged or destroyed, and an unconfirmed number of family
members were injured or hospitalized.
Despite these difficult
circumstances, more than 50 Guard members from the central Arkansas area
responded to the call to help their neighbors, friends and fellow Guard
families in need.
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe summed up
the situation during a morning news conference in Mayflower. "These are
Arkansans helping Arkansans, like they always do -- neighbor helping neighbor
in a time of need," the governor said.
Beebe noted that multiple state
agencies, nearby communities and a large number of civilian volunteers have
responded to help. From a national perspective, Beebe indicated that the
federal government pledged to make resources available to help in the recovery
and rebuilding of the devastated communities.
The Arkansas National Guard has 59
personnel, 24 vehicles and one UH-60 helicopter supporting the ongoing
operations.
Units supporting these missions are
the 87th Troop Command, the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and the 77th
Theater Aviation Brigade - all from the central Arkansas area.
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