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.