Photo By Capt. Jessica Donnelly | The South Carolina National Guard conducted a hurricane rehearsal of concept (ROC)...... read more read more
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COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina National Guard conducted a hurricane rehearsal of concept (ROC) drill June 12, 2021, at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, in order to continue to refine planning and preparations for the 2021 hurricane season.
The ROC drill provided an overview of the projections for this hurricane season, as well as the South Carolina National Guard’s plan for staging and activation of personnel and equipment in support of the state’s response to a storm. The drill allowed for the South Carolina National Guard’s major subordinate commands to identify assets, resources, and potential shortfalls in the event of a large-scale response.
"This is an ongoing process for us...For much of what we do, and what the Emergency Management Division does, we work year-round in preparation for hurricane season,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, the adjutant general for South Carolina. “After we complete an event, we go back in and make an assessment of it to determine our strengths, weaknesses, and how we can look to improve...Following the last season, and the previous seasons before, we're always looking at how we can prepare and better ourselves for the future."
When the South Carolina National Guard is activated for a natural disaster, or other in-state emergency, it is at the direction of the Governor and always in support of a lead civilian agency.
"The Guard is truly a support entity. We have agencies that we are tasked with supporting. The state Emergency Management Division is the overall responsible entity in the state for preparing and managing for disasters and other emergency events,” said McCarty. “The National Guard, we partner with, depending upon our mission, with state law enforcement division, department of public safety, and in this case for the pandemic, the department of health and environmental control...Our role is to support others, and that's what we do."
The South Carolina National Guard has been activated for a number of different types of state missions over the past years including the large-scale flooding in 2015, Hurricane Matthew and Pickens County wildfires in 2016, Hurricane Florence in 2018, Hurricane Dorian in 2019, as well as the COVID-19 response efforts, and assisting law enforcement in maintaining citizen safety and peace at protests throughout the state in 2020. The types of assets and resources the South Carolina National Guard can provide in support of a natural disaster, or other emergency, includes evacuation assistance, traffic control point manning, supply transportation, water purification, security support, critical infrastructure protection, high-water vehicle transportation and evacuation, search and rescue, communication support, debris clearing, general purpose support, and more, all in support of the lead civilian partners.
"It requires the force to be very adaptive, very agile and really one that is capable of multitasking at a very high level. There's very little room for error in how well we're able to execute our mission," said McCarty.
The South Carolina National Guard is a community-based organization and when the Soldiers and Airmen are activated in the state, they are supporting their families, friends, and neighbors.
"They are part of their communities, they understand their communities...when you have a storm, all those disasters are local. It impacts every person, in every community and being a part of the response, a part of an operation that helps to address their needs and get them back on their feet, I think our Guardsmen take great pride in that," said McCarty.
The South Carolina National Guard is prepared to support the counties, state and local agencies, and first responders with requested resources at the direction of the Governor if the need arises during the 2021 hurricane season.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2021 17:35 |
| Story ID: | 399103 |
| Location: | COLUMBIA, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 250 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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