Photo By Jovi Prevot | A CH-47, assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment, Mississippi...... read more read more
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Approximately 20 Soldiers and Airmen of the Mississippi National Guard (MSNG) successfully completed their emergency response mission in Florida, Oct. 6, 2022. The Guardsmen left Mississippi September 29 for a week-long deployment in support of the Florida National Guard (FLNG), the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and local civil and emergency response personnel during Hurricane Ian relief efforts in the vicinity of Fort Myers.
Gov. Tate Reeves approved an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) request September 28 for MSNG assistance in response and recovery operations in Florida following Hurricane Ian’s destructive path across the state.
Eleven Mississippi Army National Guard (MSARNG) Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment, based in Meridian, used two CH-47 Chinook helicopters to provide heavy helicopter support to the FLNG Aviation teams through passenger and cargo transport, search and rescue operations, and evacuation of stranded citizens from the isolated islands of Sanibel, Captiva, and Pine.
“Mississippi Aviation has always stood ready to assist our neighboring states during their times of need,” said Col. Bradley Howe, state army aviation officer for the MSARNG. “Our Chinook unit has a special connection to Florida since the other half of their company is located in Jacksonville.”
Company B, with just two helicopters and 11 Soldiers, completed more than 37 flight hours, transported nearly 250 passengers, and moved more than 102,000 pounds of cargo in just five days of operations.
“The team that participated in the Hurricane Ian response is highly experienced and trained to accomplish any mission that Florida needed,” said Howe. “They performed to high standards and showed Florida residents and state agencies some of our Mississippi hospitality.”
Members of the Mississippi Air National Guard’s 255th Air Control Squadron (ACS), based in Gulfport, also deployed to provide technical communication support to state and local emergency services and military organizations from their tactical operations center in Lehigh Acres, Florida. The Airmen were tasked with supporting 3rd Battalion, 116th Field Artillery Regiment, Florida Army National Guard, using their expertise in the Joint Incident Site Communications Capability (JISCC).
“The JISCC provides internet, Wi-Fi, Land Mobile Radio, and VOIP [Voice over Internet Protocol] phone connectivity in austere environments,” said Lt. Col. Jeff Kirby, commander of the 255th ACS. “The invaluable communications support enabled the 3-116th to conduct security operations, Point of Distribution sites, traffic control, and search and rescue operations.”
The 255th has extensive experience in operating communications capability systems during natural disaster response and relief efforts throughout the South, and regularly respond at the drop of a hat.
“As with Hurricane Ida in 2021, the 255th ACS again deployed at a moment’s notice to provide irreplaceable communications expertise during hurricane response efforts in a neighboring state,” said Col. Lee Henry, director of military support for the Mississippi National Guard. “For two years in a row, the Airmen of the 255th have been called upon to re-establish life-sustaining communications in devastated areas, which they have done masterfully.”
Interagency coordination between the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, the office of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, as well as the Florida and Mississippi National Guard, played a vital role in the rapid deployment of military support to devastated areas of Florida.
“Mississippi is often impacted by natural disasters, and in those tough times, we rely on support from our brothers and sisters-in-arms for aid,” Kirby said. “The men and women of the 255th Air Control Squadron are proud to support domestic operations in Mississippi and our neighboring state partners through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.”
| Date Taken: | 10.06.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.05.2023 11:22 |
| Story ID: | 441982 |
| Location: | FORT MYERS, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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