Military sends resources to Florida in wake of Hurricane Milton while Helene recovery efforts continue

The U.S. subject has flooded resources to areas successful Florida impacted by Hurricane Milton, including 6,500 members of the state’s National Guard and different 3,000 from 19 different states acceptable to supply support, arsenic betterment effect efforts proceed successful the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Pentagon property secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during a briefing connected Thursday that 6,500 Florida National Guardsmen had been activated and mobilized on with 500 positive high-water vehicles, 26 helicopters and implicit a twelve watercraft from a twelve states to assistance with effect and betterment missions.

Along with those resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has astir 250 radical helping with debris and flood control, waterway clearance and more, portion U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Army North besides basal acceptable to enactment the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) erstwhile needed, with 60 much high-water vehicles from Fort Stewart, Georgia, and 100 U.S. Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Ahead of Milton's arrival, unit from U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) evacuated from its headquarters astatine MacDill Air Force Base successful Tampa, and arsenic of Thursday, they remained evacuated.

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A drone representation shows a flooded thoroughfare owed to Hurricane Milton successful Siesta Key, Fla., Thursday. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images)

"The precedence is the information of unit and their families and ensuring they person the resources they request arsenic they retrieve from Hurricane Milton," Ryder said. "Both commands proceed to run retired of aggregate locations, ensuring nary degradation to operations."

Ryder noted that Department of Defense facilities successful Florida suffered "some damage, but not extended damage."

He added that teams volition person to spell successful and measure the harm earlier further accusation tin beryllium provided.

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Pentagon property caput Gen. Pat Ryder connected Thursday updates reporters connected the resources being sent to Florida from the National Guard. (Pentagon Live Feed)

As efforts crook toward helping those affected by Milton, the attraction does not look to person been taken distant from betterment efforts successful different parts of the southeast that were devastated by Hurricane Helene 2 weeks ago.

Ryder told reporters the National Guard has astir 5,000 guardsmen, 80 high-water vehicles and 50 helicopters from 17 states person been deployed to the region, including 1,500 active-duty members successful North Carolina.

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Marie Cook reacts to the harm to her location successful the Binks Estates assemblage aft a tornado formed by Hurricane Milton touched down, striking homes successful Wellington, Fla., Wednesday.   (Bill Ingram/Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network via Reuters)

The Pentagon is continuing to enactment with local, authorities and national partners connected coordinated effect efforts, including roadworthy clearing and the organisation of h2o and food.

The 18th Airborne Corps soldiers are conducting operations successful 9 counties and person cleared 45 miles of roads successful Haywood County, North Carolina, 28 miles successful the municipality of Poplar, and 14 miles successful Buncombe County, Ryder said.

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He added that the Army Corps of Engineers has implicit 550 unit mobilized to 14 exigency cognition centers crossed the portion to assistance with debris control, flood control, harmless waterway assessments and impermanent powerfulness infrastructure.