National Guard troops in New England respond to massive blizzard
February 9, 2013
By Steve Marshall
ARLINGTON, Va. (2/9/13) -- Citizen-Soldiers in the Northeast were assisting state authorities Saturday in the aftermath of Nemo, the giant snowstorm that killed at least four people, left 650,000 without power and resulted in the cancellation of about 5,300 flights.
As of Saturday morning, National Guard troops had been activated in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.
"It's quite an honor to be living in the community, to be part of the community and serve the community," Maj. Gen. L. Scott Rice, the Massachusetts adjutant general, said in an interview with Boston station WHDH-TV.
Rice noted that the storm coincided with a regular drill weekend for his state's troops, so up to 6,000 Soldiers would be available for storm assistance if needed.
Throughout the region, powerful winds were blowing fluffy snow into drifts far deeper than the original 18-24 inches that reportedly fell.
Governors of affected states urged, and in some cases, mandated, that roads be free of civilian traffic so emergency responders and plows could perform their duties unhampered.
"Most of our best resilience in our communities is your own resilience and the fact that you think about how you prepare and prepare yourself for what could happen," Rice said in the interview conducted from the state's emergency management bunker in Framingham, Mass.
An early-morning summary of Guard assignments included:
Connecticut: Conducting roadway support, health and wellness checks and emergency transportation throughout the state.
Massachusetts: Conducting health and wellness checks, transportation support and sandbagging.
New York: Staged in New York City for emergency transportation.
Rhode Island: Staged for mobility, transportation, snowplowing, supporting state police, transportation department and power companies.
State emergency declarations were in force in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island.
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