LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Nation Guard members spent their first day mobilized clearing debris from a church in Burnsville, North Carolina. Approximately 40 soldiers from the 1436th Engineer Company, 507th Engineer Battalion, traveled from base in Montague, to help impacted communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
The Guard was originally mobilized to South Carolina on October 4 but was retasked and arrived in North Carolina on October 7 as part of the ongoing emergency response mission to support areas impacted by severe flooding. The Michigan Army National Guard Soldiers will assist federal and local authorities with debris removal and road clearing.
The Michigan National Guard received a request from North Carolina, through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). Through EMAC, a disaster-impacted state can request and receive assistance from other member states quickly and efficiently. All costs associated with deploying resources under EMAC are paid for by the requesting state. Members of EMAC include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.