Vern Evans
More than 5,000 Florida National Guard troops have been mobilized to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Milton in the state later this week, even as thousands of other military personnel continue recovery efforts related to Hurricane Helene throughout the southeast United States.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Wednesday that military forces stand ready to respond to support requests from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state leaders in Milton’s path.
In addition, Army officials have moved additional personnel and equipment to Fort Moore in Georgia in anticipation of future needs, to include vehicles and aircraft for search and rescue operations. White House officials on Tuesday said that dozens of Defense Department high-water vehicles have been pre-positioned in areas of need.
Leaders at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., started evacuating non-essential personnel on Monday as Hurricane Milton approached the western shoreline of the state.
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The storm intensified to a Category 5 hurricane early Tuesday before lessening somewhat, but weather forecasters expect the system to cause major damage when it makes landfall. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 54 of Florida’s 67 counties ahead of that impact.
Less than two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene hit Florida and moved upwards into several southeast states, causing widespread damage. At least 227 people were killed, with about half of that total coming in floods and mudslides in North Carolina.
About 7,000 National Guard personnel and 1,500 active-duty troops have been mobilized to respond in the aftermath of that storm.
Singh said that in addition to the mobilized guardsmen, additional military personnel are preparing to provide logistics support to recovery operations after Hurricane Milton arrives.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.
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