WASHINGTON --- As Hurricane Florence made landfall over the coastline of the Carolinas Friday morning, spreading heavy rains, surging tides and battering winds, National Guard Soldiers fanned out over the region helping communities impacted by winds and flooding.
On Friday at an 11 a.m. press conference, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said more than 500,000 of his state's residents were without power and another had 20,000 moved into 157 shelters.
"Hurricane Florence is powerful, slow and relentless," he said. "It's an uninvited brute who doesn't want to leave."
"Historic and unprecedented," said Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk, North Carolina National Guard's adjutant general. "From my personal recollection, I think we've had [as] historic and unprecedented an activation of North Carolina Guardsmen before landfall that I can recall.
"They're postured," Lusk continued. "They're going through the last minute preparation of the equipment that they may be called upon to use."
Meanwhile, active duty Soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, braced themselves for Florence. The National Weather Service reported as much as 20 inches of rain could drench central North Carolina at Bragg and in nearby Fayettville.
Active duty Soldiers remained ready to bolster relief efforts of the Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency and civilian first responders. Army motor transport companies from Fort Campbell, Fort Bragg and Fort Stewart, Georgia have mobilized or were preparing to mobilize at press time.
About 30 helicopters and 240 tactical vehicles from Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, remained on standby for search and rescue missions.
"The Army is ready go," said Lt. Col. Cathy Wilkinson, U.S. Army North public affairs officer. "We have troops surrounding the area ready to move in as the storm passes and provide assistance to the state and the federal officials."
The most difficult part will be recovery efforts during the hurricane's aftermath, as rains threaten to cause further flooding, according to meteorologists. High winds pose serious dangers for power lines, trees and residences. Wind gusts were reported at a record 105 mph in Wilmington, North Carolina.
"As we start focusing a little bit more on what may happen or what is likely to occur after the storm lifts … we start dealing with all this historic and unprecedented flooding that we're talking about," Lusk said. "It takes more than just us. We have the entire Department of Defense that's backing us up, providing us some depth, some capabilities in order to take care of the citizens of North Carolina."
"An unprecedented storm requires an unprecedented team effort," Cooper said. "That's what you're seeing. I'm very grateful for the men and women of the Guard, of the patrol, of law enforcement, the first responders out there in the field … and all of their families who have been left at home, we thank you for your hard work and your dedication to this."
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