Photo By Sgt. Erica Earl | Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division attend an in-processing brief at Camp...... read more read more
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Camp Blanding Joint Training Center received nearly 300 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division Sept. 13 to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state of Florida after Hurricane Irma.
Camp Blanding, a Florida National Guard training base located in Starke, Florida, has processed about 1,500 Soldiers and Airmen since Hurricane Irma began threatening Florida’s coastlines.
The military camp is set up to be a site for disaster preparedness. Its facilities are used to process units into the state of Florida to be integrated with relief efforts around the state in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.
This is done through the camp’s Joint Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration Plan, which is used to respond to catastrophic disasters such as Category 4 or 5 hurricanes.
Camp Blanding has processed and facilitated units from Broward and Miami-Dade counties, Lakeland and the Palm Coast of Florida, as well as units from out of the state.
Capt. Jacqueline Zuluaga, incident commander for the 256th Medical Company Area Support, Florida National Guard, said the main focus at Camp Blanding is to continue to process units to provide support as long as impacted areas need help.
“Our mission is to provide support to citizens with whatever they need at this time, whether it is medical, communications, logistics or rescue, or whatever is called upon by the governor,” Zuluaga said. “We will support that mission for however long it takes.”
Maj. Michelle Collazo, a Bradenton, Florida native and a commander for the 256th MCAS, 927th Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 50th Regional Support Group Brigade, Florida National Guard, said it is rare for the unit to employ this plan, but they are always prepared and ready to put it into action.
“This isn’t something we normally do, but we really embraced it,” Collazo said.
Collazo said when a storm like Hurricane Irma makes landfall help is needed for preparation, relief and assessments of the aftermath.
“We are kind of like a rest stop,” Collazo said. “It is critical to get Soldiers accounted for and assist them so they are able to take care of what needs to be taken care of.”
Sergeant 1st Class Roy Baker with the 927th Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, Florida National Guard, said his family in Lake City is still without power.
Baker, an Orlando native, remembers watching the Florida National Guard take action in 1964 when Hurricane Dora brought heavy flooding to the state.
“I hope that everything soon gets back to normal,” Baker said. “This storm was devastating to a lot of people, and our hearts go out to them.”
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2017 12:13 |
| Story ID: | 248431 |
| Location: | CAMP BLANDING, FL, US |
| Hometown: | BRADENTON, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Paratroopers arrive to support relief efforts in Florida, by SGT Erica Earl, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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