This week our troops and Defense personnel continued to fight the wildfires in California and, on the other side of the Pacific, they sprang into action to help those struck hard by devastating Typhoon Soudelor.
Will Hock, left, 9th Civil Engineer Squadron fire captain, assists Justin Devorss, Linda Fire Protection District engineer, with extinguishing a fire, Aug. 6, 2015, near Clearlake, California. The fire is associated with the Rocky Wildfire that has consumed nearly 70,000 acres in Northern California. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman Preston L. Cherry)
Soldiers remove a burnt tree stump to extinguish a fire near the mountains of Wildcat Butte in Humboldt County, Calif., Aug. 9, 2015. The soldiers are assigned to the California Army National Guard’s Task Force Alpha. More than 200 guardsmen spent several days at the Humboldt Lightning Fire base camp performing mop-up duties to prevent future wildfires.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter lowers its bambi bucket and prepares to land at the Eel River Conservation Camp Helibase in Redway, Calif., Aug. 11, 2015, during the Rocky Fire in Northern California. California Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Eddie Siguenza
U.S. airmen unload supplies from a cargo plane at Saipan International Airport in Saipan, Aug. 12, 2015, for Saipan residents following Typhoon Soudelor. The airmen are assigned to the 36th Contingency Response Group. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kristina D. Marshall
U.S. Marines hand out food to residents at a shelter in Saipan, Aug. 9, 2015. The Marines, assigned to Echo Company, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, are assisting local and federal agencies with typhoon relief efforts in Saipan after Typhoon Soudelor devastated the island Aug. 2-3.
U.S. Marines distribute water to civilians as part of Typhoon Soudelor relief efforts in Saipan, Aug. 12, 2015. The Marines are assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is assisting local and federal agencies after the typhoon devastated the island Aug. 2-3.
Note: The Weather Channel warns:
Just one week after Typhoon Soudelor raked Saipan, Taiwan, Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and southeast China, the tropical western Pacific is recharging, with a pair of systems likely to become twin typhoons in the days ahead. Even as cleanup efforts continue, Saipan is once again under a typhoon watch.
Lead photo: Soldiers use a steel guide line to move a ramp and bay over Cache Creek at Cache Creek Regional Park in Yolo County, Calif., Aug 7, 2015. The soldiers, assigned to the 132nd Multirole Bridge Company, are California guardsmen who constructed a temporary floating bridge to enable state equipment to cross the river to battle the Rocky Fire.
All photos and captions: DOD
