New York Begins Drawing Down Troops Mobilized for Blizzard

By Eric Durr

New York National Guard

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2015 – With less snowfall than expected from the three-day snow event dubbed Winter Storm Juno by the Weather Channel, the New York National Guard today began releasing from duty some of the approximately 400 soldiers and airmen who had been mobilized.

Soldiers and airmen who had been providing mobility support to the New York City Fire Department and New York State Police in the Hudson Valley were stood down as those missions completed. New York National Guard leaders expected that only about 150 soldiers would remain “on mission” at the end of the day.

On Long Island, though, heavy snowfall kept airmen of the 106th Rescue Wing busy providing Humvee support to police agencies in Suffolk County.

Engineer soldiers assigned to the 204th Engineer Brigade, who moved into the region from armories in Binghamton, Kingston, Horseheads and Buffalo, remained on call at the Farmingdale Armed Forces Reserve Center, with front-end loaders, dump truck, and small skid-steer loaders to assist in snow removal.

“The focus now is to begin getting everybody home safely,” said Air National Guard Col. Steve Fukino, the director of domestic operations for the New York National Guard.

State of Emergency Declared

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called out the National Guard troops yesterday, as part of a coordinated New York State response to a blizzard expected to hit the Northeast.

Weather forecasters had been predicting record high levels of snow for New York City and the Hudson Valley.

The governor declared a state of emergency yesterday and banned travel on major roadways. The New York City and regional transit systems also were shut down.

States of emergency were also declared in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island as of this morning.

Today, conditions in New York City and Hudson Valley were better than expected, Cuomo said during a morning news conference. The travel bans put in place Monday night were lifted in much of the region.

However, snow conditions on eastern Long Island were considerably heavier, and people should still avoid unnecessary travel, the governor cautioned.

Nearly 100 Guard Vehicles on Hand

In New York City, 50 National Guard Soldiers positioned 25 Humvees at fire stations across the five boroughs of the city in order to support emergency medical technicians. The National Guard Soldiers are there to drive EMTs to locations on roads which may become impassable due to high snow accumulations.

Six high-axle trucks were also available to the New York City Fire Department to move patients for short distances on snow-clogged side streets if ambulances could not get down the streets.

On Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, New York National Guard soldiers and airmen were on hand to provide mobility for New York state troopers if necessary.

Engineer equipment was moved into the region from 204th Engineer Battalion units in Kingston, Binghamton, Horseheads, and Buffalo. Soldiers from the 152nd Engineer Company in Buffalo, who were the first National Guard responders when Erie County was pounded with seven-foot lake effect snows in November, 2014, were dispatched to the Hudson Valley to assist downstate New Yorkers.

National Guard tractor trailers were on hand on Long Island to assist in moving state emergency supplies if requested.

A total of 97 pieces of equipment, to include 75 high-axle trucks and Humvees were dedicated to the National Guard response mission. Four front-end loaders, seven small skid-steer loaders and 12 dump trucks were also assigned to provide support if necessary.

At F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton, para-rescue airmen assigned to the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing prepared snowmobiles for use if necessary.

Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and Air National Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters were also ready on standby.

Guard members in other affected states were prepared to assist as needed. About 1,300 soldiers and airmen were on duty in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island, according to figures from the National Guard Bureau.