RICHMOND, Va. –
The Virginia National Guard has approximately 25 Soldiers on duty supporting response operations Feb. 19, 2025, in Southwest Virginia and has about 65 Soldiers and Airmen staged in Bowling Green, Sandston, Lynchburg, Emporia, Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore. All troops are ready for missions Wednesday morning with transportation, commodity distribution and debris reduction capabilities.
“This is what the National Guard is all about,” said Brig. Gen. Todd Hubbard, Virginia National Guard Director of then Joint Staff. “Our Soldiers and Airmen were in the right place at the right time to augment local emergency response efforts to help our fellow Virginians in a time of need. I am really proud of how adaptable, flexible and resilient our personnel have been in rapidly changing situations. Now we have been able to position additional forces at key locations in advance of a potentially hazardous snow storm, and our troops will be ready to go if needed. I want to once again thank our families and employers for their continued support which is so critical to mission success.”
The VNG conducted 17 missions Feb. 14-18 in Southwest Virginia, distributing more than 1,735 cases of water and nearly 1,170 cases of food, assisting with the evacuation of 94 civilians and 27 pets and conducting nearly 160 welfare checks. Soldiers also cleared 15 trees and other debris.
VNG Soldiers and Airmen are equipped with heavy duty trucks capable of transportation through heavy snow to distribute food and water and conduct welfare checks. They are also organized into chainsaw teams to conduct debris reduction to clear roads.
Approximately 25 additional Soldiers, Airmen and members of the Virginia Defense Force are on duty to provide logistics, maintenance and administrative support for the response teams at their staging locations and mission command support at the VNG’s Joint Force Headquarters in Richmond.
During domestic operations, the VNG responds as part of a multi-agency team with other state and local agencies to provide support capability requests submitted by Virginia localities through the Virginia Emergency Support Team.
Localities looking for VNG support should make their requests to the VEST, and they determine which organization can best provide the requested assistance as they coordinate the regional and statewide response.