PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – U.S. Northern Command, the Department of Defense’s synchronizer for defense support of civil authorities during natural disasters, is posturing personnel, equipment and other resources to aid in Hurricane Milton response efforts.
U.S. Army North, under the direction of USNORTHCOM, has postured active-duty personnel and equipment to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state of Florida, if requested. Assets include up to 100 general purpose troops from Camp Lejune, North Carolina; up to 60 high-water vehicles from Fort Stewart, Georgia; four search-and-rescue helicopters; light/medium rotary wing airlift aircraft from the 3rd Infantry Division; as well as command and control support.
Staging areas for Milton response efforts have been identified at NAS Whiting Field, and Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; and Moody AFB, Fort Moore and Fort Stewart in Georgia.
USNORTHCOM is prepared to support air search-and-rescue missions and urban search-and-rescue teams, provide helicopters to move personnel and equipment, and provide high-water vehicles. The command works year-round with our federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to ensure plans, communications, and interagency relationships are always ready to support our lead federal agencies to deliver the right military-unique capabilities at the right time and place.
The command has well-established contingency plans for multi-disaster response scenarios, and with pre-positioned personnel and assets across impacted states, we can provide simultaneous support to FEMA and states for both hurricanes.
Our scalable and flexible response structure allows us to manage multiple disaster response missions efficiently, ensure continuous, dedicated support to Helene recover efforts while positioning resources for Milton. We will continue providing necessary capabilities in both North Carolina and Florida for as long as required by FEMA and the respective states.
We have been fully engaged from the beginning with FEMA and the whole-of-government relief efforts related to Hurricane Helene, and with additional capabilities now being provided for Hurricane Milton response, we will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to ensure we are in coordination and supporting response efforts.
USNORTHCOM also continues to support the important work that active duty personnel are doing in North Carolina under the direction of the Dual Status Commander to end distress and end isolation for the people of North Carolina. To date, active-duty personnel have provided over 650,000 pounds of food, water, and fuel to affected areas, and cleared approximately 125 miles of routes.
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