WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2017 — More than 17,000 soldiers and
Army civilians have been mobilized as part of the Total Army response to
Hurricane Irma, Army spokesman Col. Patrick Seiber said yesterday.
The Total Army, which includes active duty, Reserve, and
Army National Guard personnel, remains involved in or prepared to support
state, territory and other federal agencies as part of Hurricane Irma relief
operations, he said. “Governors are best postured to determine the needs of
their residents and establish response priorities,” Sieber noted, adding that
state governors are using Army National Guardsmen to help meet those needs.
“The Army has pre-positioned or is in the process of
positioning equipment and personnel in the affected areas to ensure adequate
resources are readily available if needed,” Sieber said.
As of 5pm Eastern Daylight Time yesterday, the Total Army
response includes the following:
-- The Total Army response for Hurricane Irma is now more
than 17,600 soldiers and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civilians in the U.S.
Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the continental United States.
-- The Army has 38 aircraft, more than 740 trucks and more
than 80 generators committed to relief efforts with more than 100 aircraft,
almost 600 generators, 150 boats and nearly 3,200 trucks on standby to support
response efforts if called upon.
-- Fort Jackson, South Carolina, is providing shelter to 128
personnel displaced by the hurricane and are still accepting persons seeking
shelter.
-- The Army Corps of Engineers has activated three divisions
and six districts to support federal response operations, with more than 400
personnel deployed at key response nodes and 158 personnel manning key
communication nodes.
-- The Corps is working in the Virgin Islands and Puerto
Rico to assist with power restoration efforts and have teams on standby to
assist in Florida if needed. The Corps continues to monitor conditions at the
Herbert Hoover Dike around the waters of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, and will
continue to provide expert status updates.
-- Army National Guardsmen from Florida, South Carolina,
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are on State Active Duty status and are
either responding, or prepared to respond to each Governor’s priorities. Additionally,
Army National Guard units in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas are
conducting routine inactive-duty training that they will utilize to prepare for
a Hurricane Irma response if required.
-- The Army also has active-duty officers assigned with FEMA
Regions II, IV, and V Headquarters to provide expert military advice on storm
response efforts.
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