Army Sgt. Michael Ryno provides assistance to a family displaced by Hurricane Sandy at an emergency shelter at the Werblin Recreation Center in Piscataway Township, N.J., Oct. 29, 2012. Ryno and fellow soldiers are assigned to the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey Army National Guard.
UPDATES:
This post will be continuously updated as additional Department of Defense information or images related to hurricane Sandy are made available.
President Barack Obama, far right, receives an update from officials via video teleconference on the ongoing response to Hurricane Sandy in the Situation Room of the White House, Oct. 30, 2012. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., U.S. Northern Command commander, participated in the teleconference.
This is an infrared image of Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy taken early Oct. 30, 2012 by the U.S. Air Force’s Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 14.(Image: Air Force Space Command)
Virginia National Guard Soldiers from Company G, 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conduct reconnaissance patrols in support of Hurricane Sandy operations Oct. 29, 2012, in Norfolk, Va. Virginia National Guard photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class A. J. Coyne
The Defense Department continues to respond to Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath.
As of 5:30 p.m. Oct. 29, there were about 6,700 National Guard Forces on state active duty, or in the process of activating for duty in support of the governors of New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut and Maryland. These forces were helping local first responders and FEMA including providing assistance with evacuation shelters, route clearance, search and rescue and delivery of essential equipment and supplies.
More than 61,100 National Guard members are available to assist civilian authorities in support of relief efforts, including aircraft for search and rescue, reconnaissance and personnel or cargo-carrying missions.
As part of DOD’s response, U.S. Northern Command has identified active duty deputies to deploy in support of any designated dual status commanders and is working with officials from Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. These active duty deputies facilitate active duty force employment under DSC leadership should active duty assets be required.
U.S. Northern Command has placed the following DSCA forces on 24-hour Prepare to Deploy Order status in response to anticipated FEMA requests to mitigate or respond to effects of Hurricane Sandy: light/medium lift helicopters; medium/heavy lift helicopters; para-rescue teams; Information Awareness & Assessment aircraft; Tactical Common Data Link; Rover video receiver systems; and fixed-wing aircraft.
U.S. Northern Command also is deploying Joint Regional Medical Planners to the impacted FEMA regions.
In other support activities:
– FEMA has requested the use of Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass., Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst, N.J., and Dover Air Force Base, Del., as incident support bases for staging federal support equipment and supplies. Fort Devens, Mass., has been designated a federal team staging facility.
– Air Force North’s National Security Emergency Preparedness directorate deployed emergency preparedness liaison officers to assist civil authorities in preparing for relief efforts.
– Air Force North officials deployed Joint Air Component Coordination Elements in response to Hurricane Sandy. The Air Force North JACCE teams deployed to Philadelphia, Boston, and Trenton, N.J., to support Hurricane Sandy relief preparation efforts. JACCE members are Air Force subject matter experts who serve to coordinate Air Force assets to assist wherever needed during times of crisis.
– U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Personnel Recovery Center, in support of Air Force North’s Joint Force Air Component commander, is prepositioning search and rescue forces for possible Hurricane Sandy activities. The JPRC is one of several resources the JFACC employs in its Defense Support of Civil Authorities role. The JPRC has the capability to conduct large-scale search and rescue operations during contingencies such as hurricanes or other natural or man-made disasters, making the JPRC a valuable asset to the DSCA mission.
– All DOD installations have been directed to offer support to local community requests for assistance, to include providing staging and bed-down for utility recovery teams assigned to restore power.
– The following installations relocated aircraft in advance of Hurricane Sandy:
Dover Air Force Base, Del.;
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.;
Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y.;
New Castle Air National Guard Base, Del.;
Joint Base Andrews, Md.;
Martin State Airport (Air National Guard), Md.; and
Harrisburg International Airport (Air National Guard), Pa.
[From Armed Forces Press Service]
Army Gen. Frank Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau, consults with senior leaders guiding the National Guard’s response to Hurricane Sandy as part of the federal, state and local team at the Pentagon, Oct. 29, 2012.
Soldiers prepare to move out on a road march from New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs Headquarters in Latham, N.Y., Oct. 28, 2012, to the Farmingdale Armed Forces Reserve Center as part of the state’s response to Hurricane Sandy, Oct. 28, 2012. The soldiers, assigned to the New York Army Nation Guard’s 206th Military Police Company, are among more than 1,100 Guardsmen deployed at the order of New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to respond to the storm.
Water floods Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light, N.J., and the surrounding area, Oct. 29, 2012, as Hurricane Sandy moves into the area. The storm is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge and coastal hurricane winds.
A working party of Sailors assigned to Naval Submarine School places sandbags around the power plant at Naval Submarine Base New London in preparation for the storm surge expected from Hurricane Sandy. With Sandy’s arrival during a time of a full moon and high tide, storm surge has been forecast to possibly top some of the base’s lower waterfront areas. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Gabriel Bevan)
About 65 airmen fly aboard a C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Oct. 28, 2012, to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., to stay out of the path of Hurricane Sandy. This movement ensures Air Mobility Command maintains the capability to respond to natural disasters or worldwide contingencies. The airmen are assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing on the New Jersey base.
Original Post:
Already on Saturday the Department of defense started taking steps to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and State authorities as Hurricane Sandy moved northward:
With the goal of helping to save lives and property during the storm, the Secretary has agreed with the Governors of Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island to appoint Dual Status Commanders as the storm approaches.
Dual Status Commanders are authorized to command both Federal and State National Guard forces. This special authority enables them to effectively integrate the defense support operations and capabilities that Governors request. The Secretary is prepared to quickly agree to similar requests from other States.
United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) was already placing aviation assets such as light and medium lift helicopters and rescue teams on 24 hour “Prepare to Deploy Order” status in response to the hurricane and was providing military installations for FEMA to use to conduct response operations.
The National Guard is also assisting governors of states in Sandy’s path.
Airmen get processed in on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Oct. 28, 2012, before they go out to assist at emergency shelters before Hurricane Sandy makes landfall. The airmen are assigned to the New Jersey National Guard’s 108th Wing.
From American Forces Press Service:
National Guard members are at work in seven states as Hurricane Sandy takes aim at the East Coast.
As of 8 p.m. yesterday, about 1,500 National Guard forces were on state active duty supporting the governors of New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut and Maryland.
These forces are helping local first responders and the Federal Emergency Management Agency with tasks such as assistance at evacuation shelters, route clearance, search and rescue and delivery of essential equipment and supplies, officials said.
More than 61,100 National Guard members are available to assist civilian authorities in potentially affected states in support of relief efforts, officials said. Available National Guard resources include almost 140 helicopters that can perform search and rescue, reconnaissance and personnel or cargo-carrying missions.
Finally, the Veterans Administration is advising veterans that as Hurricane Sandy approaches the east coast, some VA operations may change depending on a veteran’s location:
If you live in an area under the threat of storm damage and have pending VA appointments, be sure to contact your VA facility to ask about their operational schedule. Some appointments may be rescheduled or cancelled, and some facilities may be closed entirely until it’s safe to resume normal duties.
You can view a directory of all VA Medical Centers at http://www.va.gov/health/vamc/. Once on the medical center’s homepage, click on the “Emergency Response & Information” link which appears on the upper right side of their homepage. You can view the latest status and signup for both email and text message alerts.
Photos and captions: DoD
Frequently edited to add images and updated news
