OCTOBER 14, 2024 – The end of September and beginning of October proved to be a heavy lift for Soldiers and Airmen of the Florida National Guard when Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on September 26, 2024. Fast forward two weeks, and the Florida National Guard was preparing for yet another catastrophic storm — Hurricane Milton. While Florida National Guard units are trained for these types of emergency operations, every storm is different and presents its own set of unique challenges.
Nearly 4,100 troops were activated just days before Hurricane Helene was expected to hit, most of whom were getting themselves placed and ready for post-landfall operations. Others were working in operation centers throughout the state — filling various roles, ensuring coordination needs were met, and positioning troops for the most efficient support operations.
Once Hurricane Helene left Florida, however, the Florida National Guard’s work was no longer restricted within state lines, but instead expanded to North Carolina by way of an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) request. EMACs are an integral part of large-scale National Guard operations, enabling states to provide support and response capabilities to each other in times of need.
“The role of the Guard in an EMAC situation is really a force multiplier,” said Lt. Col. Brian Cooper, Commander, 1-111th General Support Aviation Battalion. “It’s an agreement between states that enables other National Guard organizations into that state to help those citizens in need.”
Florida’s aviation assets were not only helping to relieve some of the demands placed on the North Carolina National Guard and civilian partner agencies, but they also helped augment personnel who have been impacted by the storm and are unable to support State Active Duty (SAD) operations because of their own crises. This aspect of the Guard is often overlooked, but it’s proven to be critically important.
Many Guardsmen pride themselves on being citizen-soldiers, holding dear the value of being able to give back to their home state in times of desperation. When another state is able to step in and fill the gap, it allows those displaced service members to focus on their own families’ well-being.
“As a National Guard member, we’re trained and prepared for missions like this. Responding to natural disasters is one of the key roles we fulfill in the Guard, and it’s an honor to be able to contribute to relief efforts for our state and others in need,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ashley Smith, Pilot, Bravo Company 1-111th Aviation Regiment.
CW3 Smith was deployed for Hurricane Helene operations in Florida, only to turn around and travel to North Carolina, providing support for the exact same storm. “My team was focused on providing assistance to those in need, ensuring the safety of those affected by the storm, and helping with recovery operations. It’s a challenging situation, but we were ready and committed to doing our part,” said Smith.
Within the first 24 hours of its EMAC operations, the Florida National Guard’s 1-111th Aviation Regiment conducted aerial resupply of food and water pallets from Asheville Regional Airport to Mitchell High School, hauling more than 20,000 pounds of cargo.
This response was historic for the Florida National Guard, considering its last EMAC operation took place during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — a storm that left a similar impact in Louisiana as the damage left by Helene in North Carolina and other states.
As part of its support package, the FLNG provided two CH-47 Chinooks with heavy lift capabilities. These capabilities allowed the Florida National Guard to deliver commodities to isolated locations, leveraging a larger platform for urban search and rescue movements into an affected area, as well as sling load capabilities, which enable engineer assets to clear roads and make sure first responders can get to the areas of greatest need.
“This EMAC was historic — historic in that this generation of Soldiers has never seen this, including myself. Florida typically receives the donor states to us, due to being the first impacted state,” said Cooper. “This one was historic because of the size and nature of this hurricane, affecting numerous states at a great deal of speed. So, what we felt as an impact [in Florida] ultimately impacted those states as well.”
While there are standard expectations that come with hurricane response operations, it’s rare that the Florida National Guard is activated to support two storms barely two weeks apart. With Hurricane Milton’s imminent landfall on the horizon, the Florida National Guard needed to rescind its EMAC package in preparation for a whole new round of operations back in Florida.
The EMAC process has time and time again proven to be a vital aspect of the National Guard’s framework, which functions as a cohesive unit made up of citizen-Soldiers and Airmen committed to serving the community. All states share a common framework for mission tasks and capabilities, ensuring that the necessary resources are consistently available, and more importantly, giving citizens the peace of mind that the National Guard is “always ready” and “always there.”
Story by Capt. Brittianie Funderburk
Florida National Guard Public Affairs Office