OT - Katrina - Military Swings Into Action

The Military Swings Into Action
Charlotte Observer | August 31, 2005
The Pentagon's U.S. Northern Command plans to set up a task force to
help federal disaster authorities bring relief by military aircraft and
amphibious vehicles to communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

The task force plans to have its headquarters at Camp Shelby, Miss.,
said Michael Kucharek, a spokesman for U.S. Northern Command. It has
established Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., as a staging area for
supplies and personnel.

The task force will assist federal disaster-relief authorities
primarily with aircraft and other logistical support.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency requested it, Kucharek said.

"We have some unique capabilities such as airlift and amphibious
vehicles that FEMA doesn't have," he said. "I think there's a
realization that the devastation is so widespread that they are going
to need more support than they can provide on their own."

U.S. Northern Command was set up in 2002 primarily to coordinate
military efforts in support of homeland security.

Similar task forces were used during this year's G-8 summit at Sapelo
Island, Ga., the presidential inauguration in January and in relief
efforts after four hurricanes struck Florida last year. The command is
based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

The command already has sent two helicopters and crews that will enable
federal disaster experts to assess the extent of the damage in
Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

More than 9,000 National Guardsmen have been called to duty for
hurricane relief work in those three states, Kucharek said.

More than 3,800 guardsmen in Louisiana were assisting with debris
removal, water and food distribution, medical treatment and local law
enforcement, said Jack Harrison, a spokesman for the National Guard
Bureau in Washington.

Though the Louisiana Guard's 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Task Force
has been deployed to Iraq, more than 65 percent, or about 6,500
guardsmen, were still available for state duty, Harrison said.

In Mississippi, nearly 2,000 Army and Air National Guardsmen had been
called to duty, based out of Camp Shelby, Harrison said.

In Alabama, 1,600 National Guardsmen were carrying out search and
rescue missions and working with Alabama Emergency Management Agency
authorities to provide aid, said Lt. Col. Bob Horton, a spokesman for
the Alabama National Guard.

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Navy Sending Ships to Gulf Coast
Associated Press | August 31, 2005
WASHINGTON - The Navy is sending four ships to the Gulf Coast with
water and other supplies for those hit by Hurricane Katrina, but
officials are urging service members not to try to return to their
military bases in New Orleans.

Navy bases in Gulfport, Miss., and New Orleans were evacuated and
suffered heavy flooding and wind damage. Officials are gearing up to
fly over the bases to get a detailed assessment of the damage.

Meanwhile, Rear Adm. George Mayer, commander of Navy Region South,
issued a statement extending the evacuation for Naval Air Station New
Orleans and the naval support base there, saying only personnel
specifically contacted for the recovery effort should go back to the
city.

The two bases were flooded, with as much as 3 feet of water, and there
was no power or utilities.

In Gulfport, many of the buildings were damaged.

The four amphibious ships will be leaving from Norfolk, Va., in the
next few days. The Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida will be a
base for the relief effort.

Air Force bases in Florida and Mississippi also were hit hard by
flooding and high winds.

Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi suffered extensive damage to base
housing, training facilities and industrial areas from raging flood
waters that were up to 4 feet deep. Flooding and downed trees also
battered buildings at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. There were
no injuries reported at either base.

Army officials were en route Tuesday to Camp Shelby in Mississippi,
where power had been knocked out and fallen trees and flooding had done
some damage. The base was not evacuated, and there were no early
reports of injuries.

The 1st U.S. Army, based at Fort Gillem near Atlanta, has already
received some requests from state officials and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency for aircraft to conduct search and rescue missions
and assessment flights over the region.

The Defense Department's Northern Command was setting up a joint task
force Tuesday that will coordinate the Pentagon's response to the
hurricane.

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