As recovery efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen, the U.S. military is deploying 6,500 Florida National Guard troops and an additional 3,000 troops from 19 other states to areas of Florida affected by Hurricane Milton. We're ready, we're putting in personnel.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at a briefing Thursday that 6,500 Florida National Guard troops are active, with more than 500 high-water vehicles, 26 helicopters and 12 vessels from 12 states to support the response. He said they were mobilized along with more watercraft. And a collection mission.
In addition to these resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approximately 250 personnel assisting with debris and flood control and waterway clearing, while U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Northern Command also provide federal emergency management assistance as needed. We are ready to assist FEMA. , an additional 60 high-water vehicles from Fort Stewart, Georgia, and 100 U.S. Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Ahead of Milton's arrival, U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) personnel were evacuated from their headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa and remained evacuated as of Thursday.
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Drone images show flooded roads from Hurricane Milton in Siesta Key, Florida, on Thursday. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images)
“Our top priority is ensuring the safety of our employees and their families and ensuring we have the resources we need to recover from Hurricane Milton,” Rider said. “Both commands work continuously from multiple locations, so there is no degradation.”
Ryder said a Pentagon facility in Florida suffered “some damage, but not major damage.”
He added that teams would need to be on the scene to assess the damage before providing any additional information.
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Pentagon spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder updated reporters Thursday on resources being sent to Florida from the National Guard. (Department of Defense live feed)
As efforts continue to help those affected by Milton, attention is also being focused on recovery efforts in other parts of the Southeast that were devastated by Hurricane Helen two weeks ago.
Ryder told reporters that about 5,000 National Guard troops, 80 high-water vehicles and 50 helicopters are being sent to the area from 17 states, including 1,500 active-duty members from North Carolina. he said.
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Marie Cook reacts to damage to her home in the Binks Estates community Wednesday after Hurricane Milton's tornado touched down and tore through homes in Wellington, Florida. (Bill Ingram/Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network via Reuters)
The Department of Defense continues to work with local, state, and federal partners on coordinated response efforts, including road clearing and water and food distribution.
Soldiers from the 18th Airborne Corps operated in nine counties, clearing 45 miles of roads in Haywood County, North Carolina, the town of Poplar and 24 miles in Buncombe County, Ryder said.
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He added that the Army Corps of Engineers has mobilized more than 550 personnel to 14 emergency operations centers across the region to assist with debris removal, flood control, safe waterway assessments and provision of temporary power infrastructure. Ta.
