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Soldiers and Airmen from the South Carolina National Guard have been activated to provide relief efforts across the state in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
In Saluda County, soldiers from Alpha Company, 351st Aviation Support Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment out of Hartsville are on the ground at Saluda Middle School distributing water, pre-packaged meals and tarps to citizens.
“This is what we signed up for,” said U.S Army 2nd Lt. Brenautica Banks, officer-in-charge at the Saluda Middle School point of distribution. “Everybody is happy to see us in uniform.”
Banks, who lives in Columbia, has been in the South Carolina National Guard for four years and this is her first time responding to a hurricane.
“A lot of people coming through are very happy that we are here helping out. There are a lot of people out here who are struggling,” said U.S.
Army Sgt. Travis Mann, who is currently serving non-commissioned officer- in-charge at the Saluda Middle School point of distribution.
Mann, from Lexington, has been in the South Carolina National Guard for 14 years and deployed for three hurricanes and overseas to Southwest Asia in 2015.
“I joined the Guard to help my community,” Mann said.
The Saluda County Sherriff offered his appreciation for the National Guard’s efforts.
“We were glad to see them when they arrived and they’ve stuck with us,” said Sherriff Josh Price. “They’ve really helped our community a lot, and we are grateful to have them here.”
The South Carolina National Guard has approximately 1,000 Soldiers and Airmen on state active duty. Support includes SCHART missions, aviation support for damage assessment, debris clearing, water pallet delivery, damage assessment (ground), vehicle recovery, and general-purpose troops for support.
The South Carolina National Guard continues to respond to disaster relief requests for assistance from federal, state and local agencies.
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2024 10:15 |
| Story ID: | 482428 |
| Location: | COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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