RICHMOND, Va. –
The Virginia National Guard staged approximately 20 Soldiers with tactical trucks capable of high mobility transportation Sept. 26, 2024, in the Abingdon area in order to support the response to potential impacts of Hurricane Helene. The personnel are trained and ready to conduct movement, debris reduction and supply transport missions Friday morning and will link up with local emergency managers to provide assistance if needed.
The VNG also staged two Black Hawk helicopters with rescue hoist capabilities in the Roanoke area. The staged troops and equipment will be able to respond in the region as needed.
“The Virginia National Guard is ready to support the Commonwealth during times of need, and we are currently mobilizing a team as this storm approaches,” said Brig. Gen. Todd Hubbard, Virginia National Guard director of the joint staff. “When our troops get the call to assist Virginia localities, they leave their loved ones and their jobs on short notice. We owe a special thanks to their families and employers for their continued support which is so critical to mission success.”
The aviation support element in Roanoke is partnered with Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Services technical rescue specialists to form the Virginia Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, or HART, which provides rotary wing aviation hoist capabilities and aerial rescue evacuation.
In addition to the troops staged in Abingdon and Roanoke, Soldiers, Airmen and members of the Virginia Defense Force will provide logistics, administrative, operations center, weather forecasting and public information support to the operation at multiple locations.
Hubbard said VNG planners have been in close contact with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to determine what capabilities would be helpful and where it would be best to locate them.
Typical missions for the VNG during hurricane or tropical storm response operations are transporting first responders or distributing food and water to citizens in remote areas using tactical trucks capable of moving through high water as well as providing chain saw teams to help reduce debris to clear roads or power line routes.
During domestic operations, the VNG receives missions from VDEM and responds as part of a multi-agency team with other state and local agencies to provide support capabilities requests by Virginia communities. VDEM determines where capabilities are allocated, and the VNG does not respond to direct requests for assistance.
Localities looking for VNG support should make their requests to VDEM, and they determine which organization can best provide the requested assistance as they coordinate the regional and statewide response.
Read more about VNG response operations at
https://vngpao.info/VNGDomesticResponse.