Virginia National Guardsmen Deployed for Hurricane Gustav Response

The Virginia National Guard has assigned 13 members to aid the response to Hurricane Gustav. Four personnel have been sent to the National Guard Bureau to support planning operations and coordinate the nationwide response effort, and nine soldiers and airmen were assigned to work in the Joint Emergency Operations Center in Louisiana.

Col. Rob McMillin, director of joint operations for the Virginia National Guard, said that selected units in Virginia have been alerted for possible support missions in the future, but the guard has not received any additional specific requests for assistance.

"The Virginia Guard Joint Operations Center is carefully watching the storm track of Hurricane Hanna and making sure we balance support requests for Gustav with being properly prepared for a possible storm threat from Hurricane Hanna," Col. McMillin said.

No additional soldiers or airmen have been put on duty, but the Virginia National Guard has been conducting tests of their state-wide emergency notification system to alert personnel about the hurricane situation. In addition, pre-operation checks and inspections have taken place on key pieces of equipment that would be used in recovery and support operations.

"National Guard Bureau is concerned about Hurricane Hanna, and Virginia's participation in supporting the response for Gustav will be tempered by the uncertainty of that storm," said Col. Daryl Francis, chief of the Joint Staff of the Virginia National Guard. "No forces from Virginia will be committed that will affect our response until the situation in Virginia becomes more clear."

On August 29, Governor Kaine activated the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, allowing for the sharing of resources in response to disasters. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries sent 30 law enforcement officials to the region, who have since been released and are expected to return home shortly.