Pa. Guard provides support in response to Winter Storm Riley

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Smith | Staff Sgt. Chad Crawford with the 3622nd Component Repair Company, 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 213th Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania National Guard and Spc. Demond Gardner with the 1067th Transportation Company, 228th Transportation Battalion, 213th Regional Support Group inspect the undercarriage of a stranded civilian tractor trailer during Winter Storm Riley, in preparation to tow the vehicle via a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) driven by Cpl. Luis Morales with DET 2 of the 1067th TC March 3. Approximately 150 Pennsylvania National Guard members on state active duty assisted local authorities during this storm. Many were involved in clearing pathways for EMS transportation along major highways. (Courtesy photo U.S. Army National Guard)  

PA, UNITED STATES

03.08.2018

Story by Sgt. Shane Smith 

Joint Force Headquarters - Pennsylvania National Guard

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Approximately 150 members of the Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard were placed on state active duty to support nine Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency directed missions throughout the state in response to Winter Storm Riley, which struck eastern Pennsylvania March 2-3.

The Pennsylvania National Guard primarily assisted local responders in conducting health and welfare checks of stranded motorists along major highways across the commonwealth and in various towns within Pike, Monroe and Wayne counties. Three liaison officers were also provided to the aforementioned counties to assist with coordination and communication efforts.

Upon activation, Pennsylvania National Guard members reported to their local armories statewide, where they received their assignments. The Soldiers and Airmen began their work the night of March 2 and continued throughout the following day, providing local support to civil authorities in the most heavily impacted counties.

“We have military vehicles capable of operating in harsh weather conditions that allow us to reach locations other emergency response vehicles can’t get to,” said Army Capt. Alex Alicea, Pennsylvania National Guard Joint Emergency Operations Center battle captain. “In total we provided 26 vehicles in response to Winter Storm Riley.” These vehicles consisted of HUMVs and various tactical trucks capable of towing and repositioning stranded civilian vehicles.

Pennsylvania National Guard members can mobilize to respond to emergencies like this at a moment’s notice thanks to their unique dual-status roles. These individuals live all across the commonwealth, standing by and ready to perform when called upon. “It typically takes no more than four hours after being activated for our Soldiers and Airmen to arrive to their armories and prepare to complete their missions,” said Alicea. “During this storm we assisted EMS with transporting several civilians in need of critical care to hospitals. We assisted a man in cardiac arrest, a pregnant woman and a child with Multiple Sclerosis. To me, it’s the satisfaction you get from things like that which make this all worthwhile.”

During state activations the Pennsylvania National Guard organizes into task forces. The task forces are organized geographically: Pennsylvania Task Force North, Pennsylvania Task Force South, and Pennsylvania Task Force West. These geographic commands are augmented by two functional task forces, Task Force Support and Task Force Aviation. Pennsylvania Task Forces North, South and Support were activated for this mission, each composed of approximately 150 Pennsylvania National Guard personnel.

• Date Taken: 03.08.2018
• Date Posted: 03.08.2018 12:03
• Story ID: 268596
• Location: PA, US