Photo By Staff Sgt. Thomas Lamb | Emergency Operations Center staff pose with Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers in...... read more read more
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GLEN BURNIE, MD — Storms are intriguing. Before radio, radar, and satellites there wasn’t a reliable way of telling what was going to happen. Now with fairly accurate 10 day forecasts we have time to prepare. How much snow? 12 inches? 18? 30? Will there be ice or just powder? Is there enough food in the fridge? Will the power go out?
For the members of the National Guard these basic questions are accompanied by the constant drum beat of, “Will I be called to serve?” Approximately 200 Soldiers and Airmen in the Maryland National Guard answered that call for a winter storm that brought snow, ice, and near record low temperatures across the state of Maryland.
“The safety and well-being of Maryland residents is our top priority,” said Brig. Gen Craig Hunter, director of the Maryland National Guard Joint Staff. “By preparing our personnel and equipment before the winter storm, we can respond immediately to requests for assistance from local jurisdictions and help ensure our communities remain safe during this weather. The Maryland National Guard will work in close coordination with the Maryland Department of Emergency Management, local emergency management officials, and county governments to identify areas of greatest need.”
The National Guard is not equipped to work alone. When counties across the state requested support, the MDNG provided trucks and qualified operators to assist them with navigating in the deep snow. In Anne Arundel County five Soldiers and two trucks, one Light Medium Tactical Vehicle and one High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, also known as Humvees, were stationed at the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management.
“The National Guard supplements what [the Emergency Operations Center] lacks the capacity to deploy,” said Preeti Emrick, the Director of the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management. “For this winter storm, we knew transportation was going to be an issue.
At 9 p.m., four hours before the snow was expected to fall, the Emergency Operations Center sprung to life. TVs with live traffic cameras flanked split screens showing every local news channel. Maps showing road closures showed all was clear for now. The soldiers arrived.
Two hours before the weather event the Emergency Operations Center quietly listened to the dozens of state and county departments required to keep the County safe. When the meeting ended, employees that would need rides for the morning shift coordinated with Sgt. Joshua McDaniel, a military police officer with the 29th Military Police Company.
“This is something I won’t forget,” said Sgt. McDaniel referencing the Emergency Operations Center. “This is my first time participating in an Emergency Operations Center and it’s great to work with our state and local government partners.”
The snow started to fall around 1 a.m. on Sunday, quietly landing around the state. When the National Guard team woke in the morning their mission was to help members of the Emergency Operations Center get to work safely. The roads were treacherous, but navigable with a Humvee.
Sgt. Danzel Garland, a Signal Support Specialist with the 231st Chemical Company, manned a GPS and a radio in the blue hour light. He called in stalled vehicles and reported road conditions to the EOC where information was fed to appropriate departments. Later they were able to pick up several people including Joshua Jacobs.
“I wouldn’t have been able to make it to work today without the Maryland National Guard,” said Joshua Jacobs, an Anne Arundel County Office of Information Technology contractor with Amentum. “They humanized the process, making me feel like it wasn’t a burden which allowed me peace of mind to complete my job.”
As the snow turned into sleet around 11 a.m. the worst was expected, but everything held out. Readiness was the name of the game. Hundreds of Soldiers and first responders were prepared to act at a moment’s notice. Thankfully the storm was slow moving and it seemed everything was under control.
After dropping off some EOC workers at home around 4 p.m. the Humvee that had been the star of the show was taken out of commission for maintenance. The heater keeping the windshield free of ice was faltering and coolant levels were low. Anne Arundel County partners helped get the vehicle back up and running using their maintenance shop not far away.
So off they went again. First to the repair shop, then to drop off Tangi Allen, a Community Emergency Response Team Volunteer who they had picked up that morning. The humvee limped to the maintenance shop where Sgt. Garland and Spc. Aaron Carley, a CBRN Specialist with the 231st Chemical Company, were warmly greeted by the Anne Arundel County Fleet Maintenance Staff. Alex Beatty, a mechanic for Anne Arundel County, filled the coolant and had the vehicle back on the road in less than 15 minutes.
Tangi Allen was happy to serve her community and grateful for the help the National Guard was able to provide getting her to and from the EOC.
By 9 p.m. the storm broke and precipitation stopped. While the joint response will continue for several days, conditions across the county are expected to improve. Though the National Guard’s role in Anne Arundel County may have seemed small, disasters are not solved by individual people or an organization alone. It is the collective action of dozens of local, county, state and federal departments and agencies that keep an area safe.
In total the Maryland Army National Guard team at the Anne Arundel County Emergency Operations Center were able to complete 11 resource requests for the county.
| Date Taken: | 01.25.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 01.27.2026 13:06 |
| Story ID: | 556865 |
| Location: | MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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