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U.S. Military Deploys Unique Skills in Hurricane Relief Effort

01 September 2005

Rescue effort is part of homeland defense mission, officials say

Washington -- A senior Defense Department official says the U.S. military has a unique ability to assist the civilian rescue effort in response to Hurricane Katrina.

The U.S. government has launched one of the largest domestic response mobilizations in U.S. history in the wake of massive destruction, death and homelessness caused by Hurricane Katrina. (See related article.)

The deputy director for anti-terrorism and homeland defense for the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters at the Pentagon August 31 that the military is focusing its efforts on avoiding further loss of life and restoring critical infrastructure.  Brigadier General Terry Scherling said service members are ready to do whatever is necessary “to help maintain confidence in the government.”

Although the military does not have a lead role in responding to the disaster, it has been asked to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita, who also spoke at the briefing, said the military is “leaning very far forward” in trying to anticipate what FEMA might need to ameliorate this crisis.  “This is a pretty significant homeland defense mission that we’re dealing with,” he added.

Scherling said the military has set up defense coordinating offices along with FEMA in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana – the four states hit hardest by the massive hurricane.  Aviation support has also been provided to FEMA assessment teams to help move their supplies and equipment.

“We have the capability to do night search and rescue aviation operations,” he said, “as well as providing strategic airlift of some swift water rescue teams.”  Scherling said the military has been providing much needed helicopter support while it tries to determine what other assets FEMA might require.

“The President has asked us through the Secretary of Defense to lean forward and to anticipate the types of things that might be needed,” he said.  “We are in discussions with FEMA for the following types of capabilities, to include field hospitals, evacuation transportation, manpower to help with both sheltering and feeding operations, aerial reconnaissance and … [for] Navy ships,” Scherling said.

Di Rita said seven ships have been chosen for deployment, including 7,200 active-duty personnel.  The ships will provide 4,000 to 5,000 hospital beds for the injured and sick.

Scherling said the military will provide the capabilities and numbers of personnel that is needed for FEMA “and the rest of the federal government as required.”

One very important role will be to help conduct surveys of coastal waterways in order to reopen ports closed by the flooding.

The National Guard also has a major role in this effort.  The chief of the National Guard Bureau said that Hurricane Katrina is “clearly the biggest natural disaster to hit the nation in my lifetime.”  Lieutenant General Steven Blum told reporters that state governors have called 11,000 Army and Air Guard citizen soldiers to active duty.

The guardsmen have gone into the disaster zone to purify drinking water, set up alternative means of communications since cellular telephone networks are down, provide security and clear roads.  With Guard members flowing in from almost every state, Blum said, “this will really be truly America responding to America’s own emergency.”

The full transcript of the briefing is available on the Defense Department Web site.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)