Military sends resources to Florida in wake of Hurricane Milton while Helene recovery efforts continue
The U.S. military has flooded resources to areas in Florida impacted by Hurricane Milton, including 6,500 members of the state’s National Guard and another 3,000 from 19 other states ready to provide support, as recovery response efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during a briefing on Thursday that 6,500 Florida National Guardsmen had been activated and mobilized along with 500 plus high-water vehicles, 26 helicopters and over a dozen watercraft from a dozen states to help with response and recovery missions.
Along with those resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has about 250 people helping with debris and flood control, waterway clearance and more, while U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Army North also stand ready to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) when needed, with 60 more high-water vehicles from Fort Stewart, Georgia, and 100 U.S. Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Ahead of Milton's arrival, personnel from U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) evacuated from its headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, and as of Thursday, they remained evacuated.
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"The priority is the safety of personnel and their families and ensuring they have the resources they need as they recover from Hurricane Milton," Ryder said. "Both commands continue to operate out of multiple locations, ensuring no degradation to operations."
Ryder noted that Department of Defense facilities in Florida suffered "some damage, but not extensive damage."
He added that teams will have to go in and assess the damage before additional information can be provided.
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As efforts turn toward helping those affected by Milton, the attention does not appear to have been taken away from recovery efforts in other parts of the southeast that were devastated by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.
Ryder told reporters the National Guard has about 5,000 guardsmen, 80 high-water vehicles and 50 helicopters from 17 states have been deployed to the region, including 1,500 active-duty members in North Carolina.
The Pentagon is continuing to work with local, state and federal partners on coordinated response efforts, including road clearing and the distribution of water and food.
The 18th Airborne Corps soldiers are conducting operations in nine counties and have cleared 45 miles of roads in Haywood County, North Carolina, 28 miles in the town of Poplar, and 14 miles in Buncombe County, Ryder said.
He added that the Army Corps of Engineers has over 550 personnel mobilized to 14 emergency operation centers across the region to help with debris control, flood control, safe waterway assessments and temporary power infrastructure.