Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Leticia Samuels | OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C. – North Carolina National Guard soldiers conduct recovery and...... read more read more
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The holiday celebrations of "Tis’ the season" are months away, and for the North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) it's "Tis the season" to be prepared for hurricanes.
NC Army National Guard Maj. Aaron Youngblood, Director of Military Support at Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) in Raleigh, NC, mentioned how he continually coordinates with NC Emergency Management, meeting almost daily on several topics from sheltering to safety.
“We are focused on our priority vehicles, force packages and preparation for an initial safety recon which we call ‘Spearhead’ which includes a significant number of Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTVs) and Humvee (HMMWV) vehicles,” said Youngblood.
As everyday life very slowly attempts to get back to normal from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, the NCNG plans to continue following proper government mandated COVID-19 standards. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and proper social distancing will be enforced once guardsmen deploy for hurricane response within the state.
“We are going through our force packages, checking our readiness, trying our best to get everything ready and organized and making sure we have the appropriate COVID PPE in addition to the Hurricane PPE,” Youngblood said. “The best we can do at this point is to stay prepared.”
Youngblood believes the Guard’s Hurricane preparation strategies will lead to mission success.
“We’re as good as we ever have been,” Youngblood said. “I feel like units have gotten a lot of practice over the past months calling up troops and getting them ready for missions. I think we are in pretty decent shape.”
Youngblood explains who will be on alert once an emergency is at hand.
“Our joint operation center will maintain situational awareness. They’re constantly monitoring 24/7,” he said. “The meteorologist with the State Emergency Response Team will give us information and predictions that we need to station our units.”
Last year’s mission deployed over 500 guardsmen and 183 vehicles to support the state off North Carolina during Hurricane Dorian. “We are robust in the state of North Carolina with our capabilities,” said Youngblood.
The NCNG holds true to fulfilling it’s mission to be always ready, reliable, responsive, and relevant to protect the lives and property of all North Carolinians during emergency declarations.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2020 15:17 |
| Story ID: | 372020 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Vigilant NCNG Stays Hurricane Ready, by SPC Alonzo Clark, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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