Army responds as nation faces disasters
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From a major bridge collapse to hurricanes and wildfires, active Army, Guard and Reserve Soldiers were essential in helping American communities in 2024.
Baltimore bridge collapse: The Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, activated its emergency operations center March 26 after a container ship hit and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which spanned the Patapsco River. An estimated 50,000 tons of concrete and steel fell into the river.
The Corps brought specialists in engineering, construction, contracting and operations as the process of clearing the debris began along the Fort McHenry Channel to restore safe navigation in and out of the Port of Baltimore.
Waterway debris management was led by Corps of Engineers debris removal vessel Reynolds, while hydrographic and topographic surveying took place on Catlett, a 61-foot survey vessel. Survey vessels from the Corps’ Philadelphia District provided support, and the port was reopened in only 78 days.
Hurricanes and Tropical Storms: Joint Task Force – North Carolina brought military relief to those affected across the Tar Heel State after Tropical Storm Helene hit Sept. 26. The Department of Defense, through U.S. Northern Command and in support of FEMA, provided lifesaving assistance throughout the region that was devastated by historic flooding and high winds.
XVIII Airborne Corps, from Ft. Liberty, North Carolina, was busy clearing routes, providing humanitarian aid and delivering lifesaving assistance across western North Carolina. More than 500 Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, assisted in storm relief efforts.
National Guard units responded to flood scenes across western North Carolina and in bordering states, while the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty provided Soldiers and seven CH-47 Chinook helicopters for heavy lift missions and humanitarian aid delivery.
Soldiers worked in heavily hit Buncombe County, North Carolina, to distribute supplies, conduct search-and-rescue operations and recovery efforts, clear roadways, move debris, and fulfill local needs.
With flooding and blocked roadways, residents around Waynesville, North Carolina, found it difficult to get to distribution sites for food and other essential items.
In response, the National Guard partnered with Haywood County Health and Human Services to take resources to residents’ front doors.
Soldiers with the North Carolina National Guard’s 113th Sustainment Brigade from Asheboro, North Carolina, loaded supplies – including bags of dog food – into a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle and drove into stranded neighborhoods around Waynesville, where they went house to house, knocking on doors to identify needs and offer resources.
Not long after, dozens of New York Army National Guard Soldiers helped the Florida National Guard Oct. 9-15 in response to Hurricane Milton. Soldiers cleared debris and set up fuel and emergency supply distribution sites in Parrish and Bradenton, Florida.
“Everyone wanted to come down here and get to work and help out wherever they could, and it was really great seeing that motivation,” said 1st Lt. Ivelisse Velazquez, a personnel officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, from Niagara Falls, New York, who led the team.
The Corps of Engineers also sent data collection teams into flooded communities to document details that will help hydraulic engineers understand the impacts of Helene to enhance future flood risk resiliency in affected communities.
Fighting wildfire: In September, 80 Soldiers from the California National Guard were assigned to work on the ground fighting the Line Fire near San Bernardino.
A military police company was tasked to support the county sheriff with traffic control points in evacuated areas, while six military aircraft took part in aerial firefighting operations.
Members of the guard also underwent intensive training to learn how to best fight fires on the ground.
Col. Larry Doane, chief of current operations at the National Guard Bureau, said the unique nature of the Guard is the underpinning for a locally led, locally driven response supported by the entire nation.
“In my years of doing this, that’s the special sauce that I think really brings the National Guard to the fore in these responses, and the thing that our citizens really come to rely upon on their toughest days,” he said.
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