US Forces Help After Helene And Brace For Milton

National Guard troops and U.S. Army soldiers on active duty have both been tasked with emergency relief efforts as America seeks to recover from Hurricane Helene and braces itself for Hurricane Milton.

In North Carolina alone — one of the states hit hardest when Helene made landfall at the end of last month — more than 3,300 soldiers have been working to bring aid and assistance to communities left devastated by the storm. As per a Pentagon briefing, at least 1,500 active duty soldiers have been helping with tasks including roof and debris clearance, helicopter search, and the delivery of food, water and other necessary resources.

All told across the southeastern United States about 5,000 National Guard members from 19 different states are currently serving impacted communities.

The official death toll from Helene now numbers more than 225 people across six states, and that figure is expected to rise further as recovery efforts continue. More than 100,000 people in the region were still without power yesterday (Tuesday).

Meanwhile Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told a media briefing yesterday (Tuesday) that preparations were being made for the next storm, Hurricane Milton.

Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida today (Wednesday), where large swathes of the state's east and west coasts have been issues with storm-surge warnings by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

More than a million people have been told to evacuate ahead of the storm's expected imminent arrival on the west coast. It has been designated a "Category 5" hurricane, the strongest possible rating, with wind speeds topping 180mph. For context, when Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on September 26 it was a Category 4 storm, yet it still became the deadliest mainland hurricane in the U.S. since Katrina in 2005.

As per the U.S. National Weather Service, Milton is the third fastest-intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic Ocean; it is widely accepted that the climate crisis is fuelling more powerful storms via warmer sea temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico.

"In Florida, more than 5,000 members of the Florida National Guard have been mobilized to prepare for recovery efforts from the imminent arrival of Hurricane Milton," Singh said.

She added that U.S. Army North is preparing high-water rescue vehicles, helicopters for search and rescue operations, force to support to FEMA search and rescue teams and medium-lift helicopters for moving personnel and equipment which can also provide command, control and sustainment support to DOD forces. 

Extra personnel and equipment have been deployed to Fort Moore, Georgia, in preparation for providing support to requests from FEMA and state leadership.

• You can read more details about Helene relief assistance and Milton preparations on the U.S. DoD website