DES MOINES – In cooperation with Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 24 security forces personnel from the Iowa Air National Guard will deploy on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, to support response operations for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
The 185th Air Refueling Wing from Sioux City will provide eight security forces personnel and will also transport the security team to Puerto Rico via KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft. The 132nd Wing from Des Moines will also provide an additional 16 security forces personnel for this mission. As a result of the devastating destruction of Hurricane Maria, these airmen will provide supplemental security to civilian law enforcement personnel and operations in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico 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.
