4,500 RESIDENTS RESCUED, 30,000 GUARDS, 30 AIRCRAFTS MOBILISED FOR TEXAS

TEXAS, United States– Not less than 1,000 residents have been rescued by National Guards’s 386th Engineer Battalion from the Cypress Creek from high rising water following heavy rains in the wake of Hurricane Harvey which has devastated towns Texas, United States.

About 3,500 others rescued from Houston area, bringing total to about 4, 500 rescued. “Today was a day no one ever thought they’d see.There was water rising up to your hips, and the further the road went, the deeper the flood was,” said Pfc. Adelisa Fuentes, 386th Engineer Battalion.

“This is what we train for,” said Texas Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Patrick M. Hamilton, dual-status commander for Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. “And we’re proud to stand beside our civilian partners, first responders and volunteers to serve the citizens of Texas,” he said.

They were rescued even as National Guard official said today that 30,000 Guard members stand ready to assist with those efforts if needed.

“We are leaning as far forward as we possibly can to ensure that military assets are postured to support the needs of Texas and, potentially, Louisiana,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. James C. Witham, the director of domestic operations at the National Guard Bureau here.
More than 4,300 Guard members were on duty in Texas as of this morning, primarily assisting local authorities with search and rescue operations. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called up the entire Texas National Guard, numbering around 12,000 soldiers and airmen, who may be brought on duty gradually over the next few days as needed, Witham said.

As of yesterday afternoon, Guard members had taken part in more than 3,500 rescues of those affected by the storm, mostly in the Houston area.

“Most [rescues] have been by some type of boat, but these also include almost 300 hoist rescues [by helicopter], which are very technically difficult,” Witham said, adding that weather conditions initially prevented helicopter crews from flying.

Some 30 helicopters are now in use by Guard aircrews, the general said, and additional helicopter assets have been requested through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which allows Guard elements from one state to assist in other states in emergencies.