DES MOINES – In cooperation with Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 11 soldiers and two CH-47F Chinook helicopters from the Iowa Army National Guard will deploy Friday to the Houston, Texas, area to support response operations for Hurricane Harvey.
The team is comprised of seven soldiers from Company B, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion (Davenport); one soldier from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division (Boone); one soldier from Detachment 1, Company D, 2-211th General Aviation Support Battalion (Davenport); one soldier from Company C, 2-147th Aviation (Boone); and one soldier from the 671st Troop Command (Johnston). The aircraft and crew members will be utilized to move supplies, equipment and people.
The state of Texas requested this support from Iowa. Support is provided under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), an agreement between all 50 states, two territories and Washington, D.C., to assist one another in times of crisis. EMAC is a national mutual aid and partnership agreement that allows state to state assistance during governor or federally-declared emergencies. Once conditions for providing assistance to a requesting state are set, the terms constitute a legally binding contractual agreement making affected states responsible for reimbursement.
