Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Christy Van Drunen | Missouri National Guard Soldiers from throughout the state install sandbags on the...... read more read more
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri National Guard continued to help citizens across the Show Me State five days after its activation.
More than 150 Missouri Guardsmen have supported five missions in Jefferson City, Hannibal, Clarksville, Brunswick, and Canton since being called to duty on Memorial Day, said Maj. Gen. Steve Danner, the Adjutant General of the Missouri National Guard.
“Our Soldiers and Airmen are ready to serve their state and communities at a moment’s notice,” Danner said. “They are dedicated to protecting their communities in time of need.”
The Missouri National Guard receives its missions from the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
On Tuesday, two high-water rescue vehicles with crew personnel from the 70th Troop Command were staged in Jefferson City to assist the Jefferson City Fire Department’s Swift Water Rescue Team (JCFD SWRT) in Cole County.
Near Brunswick, Soldiers and Airmen from the 35th Engineer Brigade and Airmen from the 131st Bomb Wing worked to provide levee reinforcement support on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Guardsmen also sandbagged around Brunswick R-2 Elementary/High School.
On Wednesday, the mission expanded to include sandbagging operations in Clarksville and Hannibal, where 66 Soldiers worked to install more than 1,000 meters of sandbag material onto levees.
“We knew we had to finish the rest of this levee, so I went ahead and made the request to SEMA to get the Guard in here,” said John Hark, the emergency management director in Hannibal, Missouri.
During his four decades as the emergency management director, Hark said the Guard had always come through for the community after local resources were exhausted.
Sgt. 1st Class Nic Miller, a maintenance noncommissioned officer from Linneus, assigned to Battery B, 1-129th Field Artillery, in Chillicothe, led a part of the 51-person team in Hannibal in installing some 500 meters of sandbags.
“We were a mixed group of some MPs (military police), some engineers, some artillery guys,” Miller said. “But we all joined together and meshed really well and we got the mission completed.”
On Thursday, a new mission was requested for Canton sending 75 Guardsmen to reinforce the levee.
Thursday also saw Soldiers in Jefferson City conduct their first high-water vehicle evacuation. The 70th Troop Command’s High Water Response team, JCFD SWRT, Cole County Sheriff’s Department and local emergency medical services worked together to rescue two elderly residents and their pets when their home and roads had become flooded.
The Missouri National Guard will remain on duty until released by the governor.
-30-
For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard
| Date Taken: | 05.31.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.01.2019 18:14 |
| Story ID: | 324985 |
| Location: | JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | BRUNSWICK, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | CANTON, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | CLARKSVILLE, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | HANNIBAL, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | LEBANON, MISSOURI, US |
| Hometown: | ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 262 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Missouri Guard assists with statewide flood response efforts, by SFC Christy Van Drunen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
