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'We'll Stay as Long as We're Needed,' Guard Chief Says in Kentucky

Aug. 1, 2022
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National Guard soldiers and airmen are working around the clock to support response efforts to catastrophic flooding that has claimed at least 28 lives and displaced hundreds of residents in eastern Kentucky.

Soldiers carry cases of bottled water to the open door of a parked helicopter.
Soldiers carry cases of bottled water to the open door of a parked helicopter.
Loading Water
A Kentucky Army National Guard flight crew assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment aids in flood relief efforts in response to a declared state of emergency in eastern Kentucky, July 29, 2022. The unit’s mission includes supporting soldier movement, joint support transport, delivery of emergency supplies and surveying flooded areas looking for survivors.
Download: Full Size (409.6 KB)
Credit: Army National Guard Sgt. Jesse Elbouab
VIRIN: 220729-Z-OX664-1019R
A raft sits in waters by a flooded building.
A raft sits in waters by a flooded building.
Raft Assist
Kentucky National Guardsmen assist in flood relief efforts in response to a declared state of emergency in eastern Kentucky.
Download: Full Size (696.32 KB)
Credit: Courtesy Footage
VIRIN: 220729-Z-DO489-1031R

About 200 National Guard members have supported search and rescue, transportation and water and food distribution missions, with more on standby and additional units mustering to provide follow-on support.

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A Kentucky National Guardsman looks out from an in-flight helicopter at flooding below.
Overhead view of rooftops of homes submerged in floodwater.
Soldiers carry an inflatable raft in a field.
Aerial view of a bridge cut off from connected roadway.
A service member holds his hand out toward two little children on an aircraft holding hands.
A Kentucky National Guardsman carries a civilian through tall grass, as another civilian carrying a toddler follows on foot.
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"We'll stay as long as we're needed," Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said during a July 31 visit to the state.

Read More on the Guard Response in Kentucky Read More on the Guard Response in Kentucky: https://www.nationalguard.mil/News/Article/3111825/kentucky-air-national-guard-rescues-flood-victims/

humanitarian humanitarian aid preparedness national guard disaster relief

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