September 01, 2005
September 1, 2005
Will Assist in Hurricane Relief Efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi
LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that additional National Guard troops from Michigan are being deployed to assist in the relief efforts underway in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
“Michigan stands ready to assist our fellow citizens in Louisiana and Mississippi who are reeling from the impact of this enormous natural disaster,” Granholm said today. “The men and women of the Michigan National Guard will be on the frontline of this disaster and lead the way for all financial and in-kind support that will flow from Michigan in the days and weeks to come.”
The deployment of 275 soldiers announced today includes:
Headquarters, 210th MP Battalion (Taylor) (61 soldiers) and the 46th MP Company (Kingsford/Menominee) (182 soldiers) will deploy in support of the civil authorities of the State of Louisiana. The MP units will report to England Air Force Base, Alexandria, Louisiana where they will receive further instructions and be briefed on their mission.
The 1434th Quartermaster Water Purification Detachment (22 soldiers) will deploy to Mississippi to save human life, alleviate immediate human suffering and/or lessen major property damage or destruction. The 1434th will report to Camp Shelby, Mississippi where they will receive further instructions and be briefed on their mission. A 10-soldier maintenance contact team consisting of wheeled vehicle mechanics and generator repairers will augment the 1434th for maintenance support.
The units will report tomorrow to the Michigan Army National Guard armory in Taylor for inprocessing and will depart for Mississippi and Louisiana on Sunday.
Today’s announcement follows an earlier commitment to deploy 182 military police (MPs) from Owosso, Pontiac, and Taylor to Camp Shelby, Mississippi for law enforcement or security mission.
Two C-130 transport planes from the Selfridge Air National Guard Base left yesterday with 15 pilots and crew members to assist with an air evacuation mission to transport patients from a Veterans medical facility to hospitals in Jackson, Mississippi.
The Michigan National Guard deployments, under the direction of Adjutant General Tom Cutler, are being made under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a national mutual aid and partnership agreement that allows state-to-state assistance during governor or federally declared state of emergencies.
EMAC provides a responsive and straightforward system for the National Guard in unaffected states to send personnel and equipment to help disaster relief efforts in affected states. When resources are overwhelmed, National Guard units nationwide can fill the shortfalls.
In addition to ordering deployment of Michigan National Guard troops, Granholm has declared an energy emergency in Michigan to lift regulations and restrictions to ease the distribution and availability of gasoline to areas where it is needed.
The state of Michigan (through the emergency management division of the Michigan State Police) is in constant contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and will offer whatever assistance requested at a moments notice. Efforts are underway to identify private and public resources that can be offered to the relief effort.
Governor Granholm is encouraging Michigan citizens to donate money to relief efforts, which represent the most direct and useful way to aid the victims.
For additional information on disaster relief agencies accepting contributions, please visit www.michigan.gov .
