LEWISTON – If New Orleans calls here for help, the Maine Army National Guard wants to be ready.
“We’re preparing our soldiers,” Maj. Michael Backus said Thursday. “We’re ensuring that everyone has their equipment and everything is in order.”
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum conferred Wednesday via conference call with the top National Guard soldiers in every state. He asked them all to get ready.
Already, more than 11,000 Army and Air National Guard members are part of the relief effort. Another 10,000 were expected to join them by today.
Much of the help is likely to come from units in states that are closer to the disaster, Backus said Thursday. Their help would be faster and less expensive.
“Do we expect a call?” said Backus. “We have to.”
Maj. Gen. John Libby, Maine’s adjutant general, has been meeting with officers at his Augusta headquarters since Wednesday. The work includes creating a roster of soldiers and their specialties, from aviation support to military police to engineering and construction.
Most of Maine’s roughly 3,000 Guard members are not currently deployed. Many are available for call-ups.
Of the 1,100 members of the Maine Air National Guard, 242 are deployed, supporting missions in the Middle East. Of the 1,980 Maine members of the Army National Guard, 237 are deployed in the Middle East.
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