In cooperation with the Governor of the state of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 19 Soldiers, two CH-47F Chinook helicopters, and two LUH-72 Lakota helicopters from the Iowa Army National Guard will deploy later this morning (Sept. 11th), to support response operations for Hurricane Irma.

The team is comprised as follows:

-Company A, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation, Security and Support (Waterloo);

-Company B, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion (Davenport);

-Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 67th Troop Command (Iowa City);

-Company C, 2-147th Aviation (Boone);

-Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division (Boone);

-Company D, 2-211th General Aviation Support Battalion (Davenport);

The aircraft and crew members will be utilized as follows: move supplies, equipment and people; support search and rescue operations; and provide situational awareness to response planning and operations. The two Chinook helicopters and one Lakota will be sourced from the Davenport Army Aviation Support Facility (“AASF”). A second Lakota will be sourced from the Waterloo AASF.

The state of Florida has requested support from Iowa. Support is provided under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (“EMAC”), an agreement executed previously between all 50 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia, 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-declared or federally-declared emergencies. Once the conditions for providing assistance to a requesting state have been set, the terms constitute a legally binding contractual agreement that make affected states responsible for reimbursement.