U.S. Northern Command assists with Hurricane Isaac efforts

NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affairs
August 29, 2012

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - U.S. Northern Command is coordinating Department of Defense’s support to FEMA and state and local response activities in response to Hurricane Isaac. There are currently ten Mission Assignments approved for Hurricane Isaac.

U.S. Northern Command has deployed four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from Fort Campbell, Ky. and two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters from Norfolk Naval Air Station, Va., to assist in search and rescue efforts. A SAR planner has also been activated and deployed to the Baton Rouge Emergency Operations Center. There are four Emergency Planners Liaison Officers deployed to the National Response Coordination Center in support of FEMA and Fort Polk, La. has been designated as a Federal Team Staging Area.

The command has activated Region VI Defense Coordinating Officer (DCO), and Defense Coordinating Element (DCE) to Baton Rouge, La., to validate, plan and coordinate potential DOD support of FEMA's hurricane response operations and to facilitate DOD's support of potential life-saving and response operations. USNORTHCOM also has deployed portions of their Region I DCO and DCE to Clanton, Ala., and Region VII DCO and DCE to Pearl, Miss., to backfill the Region IV DCO and DCE members, who are deployed to the Florida Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, Fla. Additionally, the command has designated Meridian Air Station as an Incident Support Base and Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., was designated as a Federal Support Area (FSA).

"U.S. Northern Command is immensely proud of our partners who are working closely with state and local authorities on responding to Hurricane Isaac," said Lt. Col. Philip J. Smith, U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs Officer. "The active-duty military stands ready to support and we continue to lean forward and prepare to respond, if required, to this big unpredictable storm."

USNORTHCOM is the joint combatant command formed in the wake of the Sept.11, 2001 terrorist attacks to provide homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities. Supporting FEMA, state and local response in anticipation of Hurricane Ike, USNORTHCOM is preparing for the hurricane’s potential landfall in the United States.