The Hornet Magazine-Hurricane Matthew Edition

Hurricane Matthew Special Edition

NCNG Soldiers: Serving on the Home Front North Carolina National Guard Special Edition

Nov. 2016 www.nc.ngb.army.mil

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Director of Public Affairs Lt. Col. Matthew DeVivo matthew.r.devivo.mil@mail.mil

Media Relations Capt. Matthew Boyle matthew.i.boyle.mil@mail.mil

Community Relations Capt. Michael Wilber michael.j.wilber2.mil@mail.mil

Visual Information Staff Sgt. Brendan Stephens brendan.p.stephens.mil@mail.mil

145th Airlift Wing Public Affairs 1st Lt. Monica Ebert monica.l.ebert.mil@mail.mil

Pg. 6 National Guard Assists EMS in Rescue Efforts

Pg. 10 Soldiers Save a Nurse’s Life

The Hurricane Response:

Pg. 12 A View Of The Emergency Management Operations Center

Greetings from the North Carolina National Guard Public Affairs Office. We are proud to publish this mini-magazine to highlight the largest NCNG state active duty mobilization since Hurricane Floyd, in 1999. Hurricane Matthew raged across the eastern coast of the United States in early October. On October 6, 2016, Governor McCrory ordered the NCNG to State Active Duty to protect the lives and property of the citizens of N.C. This type of domestic operation is one of the main reason many Guardsmen join our ranks, to serve our state in times of disaster and what sets us apart from other military services. Please take a moment to look at this special edition of the Hornet Magazine that honors the Always Ready, Ready Team that is the North Carolina National Guard.

The Hornet magazine is an authorized publication for members of the North Carolina National Guard. Contents of this publication are not necessarily the official views of or endorsed by the NCNG, United States Government or the Department of Defense. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the Public Affairs Office of the NCNG. General comments and suggestions should be addressed to NCNGPAO@gmail.com or call 984-664-6847. Layout and design by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell

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Writers/Photographers Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan robert.b.jordan2.mil@mail.mil Staff Sgt. Mary Junell mary.e.junell.mil@mail.mil Sgt. Leticia Samuels Leticia.m.samuels.mil@mail.mil Sgt. Jamar Pugh Jamar.m.Pugh.mil@mail.mil

Graphic Illustrator Sgt. Lisa Vines lisa.w.vines.mil@mail.mil

Social Media

Pg. 16 Aviators help with USO support

Pg. 22 NC Guard Engineers Support DOT Road Missions

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Sgt. Odaliska Almonte ncngpao@gmail.com

Guard Pumps Millions of Gallons of Water out of Princeville

On the Cover:

This is a visible image of Major Hurricane Matthew taken from NASA’s Terra satellite on Oct. 7 at 12 p.m. EDT as it continued moving along Florida’s East Coast. Matthew was a Category 3 hurricane at the time of this image.

Credits: NASA’s Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team

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The View From Around The Nest

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By The Numbers

6 20 24 78 101 150 350 385 1,170 25,000 100,000,000 Some numbers are approximated

The date in October that Governor Pat McCrory ordered the NCNG to State Active Duty.

Number of days NC Guardsmen spent supporting Emergency Management and other state partners in response to Hurricane Matthew.

Number of hours or less it took to activate initial group of Guardsmen after receiving the order.

Number of Helicopter rescue missions conducted

by NC Helicopter and Aquatic Rescue Teams made up of NCNG, Emergency Management officials, local firefighters and emergency responders.

Number of roadways cleared of debris by the partnership of NCNG Engineers and the NC Department of Transportation plus other road rehabilitations projects that were completed.

Number of high-water vehicles dispatched to help rescue people and pets from flooded areas.

Both the number of rescue missions by swift-water rescue boat teams and the amount of Soldiers who were part of the Reaction Force that supported local law enforcement to secure shelters and towns.

Total number of vehicles dispatched.

Number of Guardsmen activated at the height of relief efforts.

Weight in pounds of the generator the Guard transported to the Lumberton Water Treatment Plant.

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Gallons of water NC Guard Engineers pumped out of Princeville and back into the Tar River.

Spc. Willard P. Bates, a mechanic with the 230th Brigade Support Battalion evacuates a mother and her infant in Fayetteville, N.C., Oct. 08, 2016.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Shaw

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National Guard assists EMS in flood relief

Nearly 200 N.C. Guardsmen were activated, staged and ready to conduct relief efforts with their EMS counterparts across central North Carolina by Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. At the height of the hurricane more than 1170 N.C. Soldiers and Airmen were activated to support relief efforts.

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Photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Shaw

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Soldiers Rescue Nurse From Flood Waters Story by Capt. Matthew Boyle

North Carolina National Guard Soldiers with the 151st Engineer Battalion, Spc. Robert Shook, (left), and 2nd Lt. Wyatt Koch, stand atop thier humvee in the days following the rescue of a local nurse from floodwaters near Wilson, N.C. on Oct. 9, 2016.

Two Combat Engineers from the 151st Engineer Battalion in Laurinburg, rescued a local nurse, who had been stranded clinging to a tree for hours, during severe flooding from Hurricane Matthew in the pre-dawn hours, outside of Wilson on Oct. 9, 2016.

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The nurse did not return home from work and was reported missing, when the NC Emergency Management Central Branch was called to send out a search and rescue team.

Capt. Bert Henderson from the Wilson Fire Department and 2nd Lt. Wyatt Koch and Spc. Robert Shook with the NC National Guard where part of a multi-agency rescue team that began to look for the missing nurse early Sunday morning.

“This is what I signed up for, to serve my country and to help people,” said Shook.

Lt. Koch and his team began to drive down a flooded road outside of Wilson, when they heard over the radio that another team could hear a cry for help. Spc. Shook cut the engine off to the team’s Humvee when he heard faint cries of “help!” The three men got on the hood of the Humvee and began to use search lights to look for the person calling out.

Henderson was the first person to spot the flood victim and Shook threw his rescue rope first but it was carried away by the current. Koch threw next, further upstream and it was able to make it to the stranded nurse. They began to pull her in, when she lost her grip still yards away from the rescue team.

Shook jumped into the flood waters after the nurse and quickly retrieved her and began to buddy swim back to the Humvee.

The current was too strong to fight so Shook began to tread water until another swift-water rescue boat pulled alongside the pair and pulled them into the boat. Shook placed a thermal blanket on the rescued nurse and the team was able to bring her safely back to dry land.

“I never thought that I would be jumping into flood waters, but my training kicked in,” said Shook, “All I knew was that I had to get to her and save her.”

The team continued to provide aid until paramedics arrived and brought the nurse to Wilson Medical Hospital.

The nurse had been in the water for over four hours.

Both Koch and Shook had attended swift-water rescue training for their unit’s annual training event, held at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, in June, 2016.

“The training worked tremendously” said Shook, “I never

would have guessed that only a few months later I would be using it to save a life.”

Hurricane Matthew began to impact central and eastern North Carolina with very high winds and torrential rains since Saturday, and for the past three days, the NC Guard has worked alongside civilian first responders and conducted over 100 flood related land rescues and 25 helicopter rescues.

“This man jumped into cold water to save my mom’s life. His partner helped steer the raft and pulled Robert and my mom to safety. These two are true heroes. With out them I’d be at a loss.

God’s warriors with an American attitude,” said the nurse’s son, seen in this photo with his mother’s rescuers.

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Raleigh N.C. Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk and Brigadier Gen. Ernst discuss NCNG response missions in the NC Emergency Management Operations Center, in Raleigh on Oct. 9, 2016. Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina bringing heavy rains that led to severe flooding across the Eastern and Central parts of the state.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell 13

State Emergency Response Team (SERT) morning brief at NCEM EOC Oct 11, 2016.

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NCNG high-water clearance vehicle rescue citizens from Lumberton Oct. 11, 2016.

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Morrisville N.C. North Carolina Army National Guardsmen and USO of North Carolina staff load 840 ‘Rack Packs’ on a UH-60 Blackhawk to be delivered to N.C. Soldiers spread across Eastern N.C. in support of the Hurricane Matthew recovery effort. Each ‘Rack Pack’ contains a two to three day supply of toiletries and snacks.

Photo by Capt. Michael Wilber 17

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Fair Bluff N.C. NCNG Soldiers work with federal agencies and local first responders from across the country to rescue displaced citizens and pets affected by Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 13, 2016.

Soldiers also work with members of the community to distribute over 1700 cots, over 20 pallets of water and mealsready-to-eat.

Photo by Sgt. Leticia Samuels

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NCNG Engineers assist DOT during Hurricane Matthew aftermath Story and Photos by Sgt. Ruth McClary

North Carolina National Guard engineers, of the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, are called to duty across the eastern region of the state, during the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, to assist the Department of Transportation, to clear fallen tree limbs and re-route standing water.

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overnor Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency in response to Hurricane Matthew that impacted communities across central North Carolina, mobilizing the NCNG, State Police, the Department of Emergency Management and the DOT to appropriate resources needed for storm response and recovery.

Capt. Christopher Greene, of the 505th Engineer Battalion, said more than 170 NCNG engineers serving on state active duty assisted with clean up efforts in areas hit hardest by the storm.

“The primary mission that our citizen soldiers work to complete is clearing routes for emergency services and allowing the ability to transport food and water to the affected areas with communities in need,” said Greene.

The teams brought engineer assets such as dump trucks and hydraulic equipment to support the DOT with tree removal off the highways to open up routes.

The teams removed trees and debris from the side of the road to prevent erosion in areas where another rainfall could wash out or flood the area.

“We have [removed] 12 loads of tree limbs and debris to date; six in one day since Wednesday,” said 1st Lt. Jonathan Dunlap, of the 881st Engineer Company. “We are making sure [road edges and ditches] are safe by filling dirt and sand to prevent more corrosion and completing road shoulder repair in partnership with the Department of Transportation in the Fayetteville area.”

This is the first time on state active duty for some of the soldiers, but many others were called in last year after Hurricane Joaquin hit South Carolina.

“In South Carolina we did a lot of road construction,” said Sgt. Andrew Barley, of the 105th Engineer Battalion. “There were dirt roads that

people used as their main means of transportation. A lot of roads were washed out and there were a lot of holes. We would transport dirt from companies, dump it and fill it in.”

Soldiers wore special chaps with sturdy material to prevent immediate injury if it came in contact with the chainsaw. The chaps are safety-orange covered with tiger-like stripes to prevent blending in with nature and also to alert motorist or hunters and avoid accidents.

The soldiers have various civilian backgrounds but all have been trained to handle the huge trucks and complete the jobs with skill.

Depending on the site, they put on appropriate safety gear and continuously moved debris or

rerouted water.

“They have been able to haul thousands of tons of material to facilitate road repair while also pumping millions of gallons of water back into natural waterways bringing the town of Tarboro further and further above water,” said Greene.

“We have been pumping 1.6 million gallons of water an hour, non-stop since we got here,” said 1st Sgt. Timothy Ashley, of the 875th Engineer Company. We have 13 guys and we have been rotating shifts. Even so, there is still about eight feet of water in the downtown area.”

Soldiers at the Tarboro site are leading from the front, as they work side-by-side with subordinates.

Ashley worked right along side of his soldiers; getting just as physical and dirty. Two sergeants put on wet suits to unclog strainers on the pumps; standing in flood water up to their chest for most of the day.

As mosquitoes and wasps swarmed the areas and foul odors filled the air, soldiers cleared fallen trees off roadways in Fayetteville and pumped water from the downtown area in Tarboro without complaint.

Given no specific timeline, Guard personnel are expected to stay on duty as emergency managers determine what assistance is still needed.

Additional personnel may be activated to escalate debris reduction capabilities and be on standby for other possible missions.

No matter the site, the soldier’s spirits and energy was high even though the days have been long and very physical. The general consensus is that they are prepared to stay the duration, no matter how long that may

be. “We are expecting a long haul and the guys are ready,� said Dunlap.

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North Carolina National Guard soldiers, of the 875th Engineer Company, 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, reroute water from the downtown area to a nearby river here, Oct. 16, 2016.

Photos By Sgt. Ruth McClary

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“...Our state is facing major destruction, but I did see the best of North Carolina. I saw people who were resilient, I saw people who were risking their lives to save other people, I saw the guard, the troopers, the sheriffs, the emergency workers all working together as a team.�

N.C. Governor Pat McCrory 26