RALEIGH, N.C. —
After two weeks of preparing and providing relief to communities devastated by Hurricane Florence in North Carolina, active-duty soldiers are winding down rescue efforts while remaining ready to meet federal and local needs.
At the peak of the response, more than 12,000 National Guard and federal military personnel supported the hurricane response efforts, rescuing people and pets, transporting first responders and delivering food and water.
Under the framework of state joint force commands established in North and South Carolina, active duty and Reserve Component military forces supported the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state authorities in response to the needs of citizens affected by the storm.
Federal forces were prepared to assist both North and South Carolina, said Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, commander of U.S. Army North and U.S. Northern Command's Joint Forces Land Component Command.
Team Effort
“We brought together all the resources of the federal side of the military — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps,” Buchanan said.
Army North's higher headquarters, Northcom, is the Defense Department's synchronizer for Defense support of civil authorities, and brought additional capabilities and capacity to the hurricane response efforts. These capabilities included communication support…
