La. National Guard mobilized, ready for Hurricane Francine

By Sgt. 1st Class Denis B. Ricou, Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office

BATON ROUGE, La. – At the direction of the Governor, the Louisiana National Guard has more than 2,300 Guardsmen ready to support current and future operations ahead of Hurricane Francine’s landfall today, Sept. 11, to include but not limited to: high-water vehicle and boat evacuations, both boat and air search and rescue operations, logistical support, engineering support, levee inspection/security, and placement of liaison officer teams assisting parish emergency operations centers.

While Gov. Jeff Landry recently authorized the activation of up to 2,500 National Guardsmen, the number of guardsmen mobilized could increase in order to provide trained and ready Soldiers and Airmen to support civil authorities in response activities, safeguarding the population, saving lives and protecting critical infrastructure.

Since Monday, the Louisiana National Guard has been mobilizing and deploying across parishes of Louisiana to respond to the threat of Hurricane Francine.

The LANG currently has 379 high-water vehicles and 87 boats throughout Louisiana prepared to provide evacuation, search and rescue (SAR) and recon support. Additionally, the LANG is leading a joint aviation effort of 61 aircraft among several agencies to aid in SAR operations.

The Guard has pre-staged 14 route clearance teams across 7 parishes to assist with debris removal and clearing of roads following the storm. Additionally, the LANG has Liaison Officer Teams supporting numerous parish emergency operation centers in potentially affected areas.

In order to provide logistical support to citizens following the storm, Guardsmen have strategically placed 1.1 million liters of water, 1 million MREs, 416,400 sandbags and 55,000 tarps for potential distribution.