As Hurricane Sandy started to batter the East Coast of the United States yesterday, the National Guard and U.S. military had more than 61,000 personnel mobilized and ready for duty. As of 4:00 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 30, more than 7,400 National Guard members were responding to calls for assistance in 11 states. Their skills and expertise were badly needed, as the toll of Hurricane Sandy is revealed. The National Guard worked in concert with local first responders and performed missions such as support at evacuation shelters, motorist assistance, search and rescue, and delivery of supplies. In the United States, so far 29 people are confirmed dead from Sandy. The amount of damage is hard to measure, but will surely be in the billions of dollars. In the coming days, the National Guard and other military units will transition from their initial rescue and response missions to assistance in recovery and rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Hurricane Sandy Military Response l Photos
Preparation and early response
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Monterey, Calif., Oct. 29, 2012, provides an infrared satellite image of Hurricane Sandy, showing the storm at about 3 a.m., EDT, in the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Navy photo
Damage being repaired on the roof of the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Arts and Crafts Center after Hurricane Sandy made landfall, Oct. 25, 2012. Hurricane Sandy was responsible for 69 deaths in the Caribbean before it entered the Atlantic. DoD photo
A row of ambulances stand parked and ready at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Oct. 28, 2012. The ambulances were staged there to allow FEMA personnel to quickly respond to potential emergencies caused by Hurricane Sandy, which was expected to make landfall within the next 24 hours. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Carbajal
A Louisiana National Guard Logistics Member loads water onto a trailer at a warehouse in preparation for Hurricane Sandy as a FEMA Corps Member helps by logging and identifying the pallets, at Camp Minden, La., Oct. 28, 2012. FEMA photo by Daniel Llargues
C-17 Globemaster IIIs sit on the tarmac on Joint Base Charleston Air Base, S.C., Oct. 29, 2012. Aircraft, including C-17s from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Dover Air Force Base, arrived over the weekend, moving out of the path of Hurricane Sandy and standing ready respond to any needs in the storm's wake. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class George Goslin
Soldiers prepare to move out on a road march from the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs Headquarters in Latham, N.Y., Oct. 28, 2012, to the Farmingdale Armed Forces Reserve Center as part of the state's response to Hurricane Sandy, Oct. 28, 2012. The soldiers, assigned to the New York Army Nation Guard's 206th Military Police Company, were among more than 1,100 Guardsmen deployed at the order of New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to respond to the storm. New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs photo by Eric Durr
Airmen assigned to the 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, stand by at Atlantic City International Airport, N.J., Oct. 28, 2012, for orders to dispatch them to support operations during Hurricane Sandy. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht
An HH-60 Pave Hawk aircraft from the 106th Rescue Wing departs Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, N.Y., in preparation for Hurricane Sandy. The aircraft were repositioned out of the storm track and prepared to return for recovery response operations. The 106th Rescue Wing’s mission is to provide worldwide personnel recovery, combat search and rescue capability, expeditionary combat support, and civil search and rescue support to federal and state authorities. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Eric Miller
Members of the 179th and 180th Engineer Detachments, Massachusetts National Guard, fill sandbags in preparation for Hurricane Sandy at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation facility, Freetown, Mass., Oct. 28, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. James C. Lally Massachusetts National Guard Public Affairs
Members of the 729th Brigade Support Company are dispatched to Queen Anne’s County Emergency Operations Center from the Brig. Gen. Louis G. Smith Armory in Easton, Md., on Oct. 28, 2012. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Thaddeus Harrington, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
A WC-130J Hercules from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flies into Hurricane Sandy Oct. 29, 2012, somewhere over the Eastern coastline of the United States. The 53rd WRS conducted weather reconnaissance missions in preparation for Hurricane Sandy making landfall along the Eastern coastline of the United States. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Robertson
Sailors place sandbags around the power plant on Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., to prepare for a storm surge from Hurricane Sandy, Oct. 28, 2012. The sailors were assigned to the Naval Submarine School. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Gabriel Bevan
An HC-130 aircraft from the 106th Rescue Wing departs Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, N.Y., in preparation for Hurricane Sandy. The aircraft were repositioned out of the storm track but prepared to return for recovery response operations. U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt Eric Miller
Spc. Brett Hyde, Tomb Sentinel, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), keeps guard over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during Hurricane Sandy at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Oct. 29, 2012. Just like the Sentinel’s Creed says “Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability.” U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.
Army Spc. Anthony Monte helps a woman displaced by Hurricane Sandy at an emergency shelter at the Werblin Recreation Center in Piscataway Township, N.J., Oct. 29, 2012. Monte is assigned to the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey Army National Guard. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen
Virginia Guard soldiers from the 116th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, run patrols up and down I-95 in their area of operations around Fredericksburg Oct. 29, 2012, searching for and assisting motorists and state and local authorities along the way. The soldiers were staged at the Fredericksburg Readiness Center, prepared to respond as needed as part of Hurricane Sandy recovery operations. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Terra C. Gatti, Virginia Guard Public Affairs
Virginia National Guard soldiers from G Company, 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, conduct reconnaissance patrols in support of Hurricane Sandy operations Oct. 29, 2012, in Norfolk, Va. The Virginia National Guard was authorized to bring up to 750 personnel on state active duty, and the Virginia Army Guard and Virginia Defense Force staged throughout Virginia with personnel and equipment capable of performing high water transport, debris reduction and reconnaissance patrols. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class A.J. Coyne, Virginia Guard Public Affairs
New Jersey Army National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Kenneth Williams hands sandbags out of the back of an M35 2½ ton cargo truck Oct. 29, 2012 in Atlantic City, N.J., in support of local residents during Hurricane Sandy. Williams, along with other soldiers and airmen, was operating out of the 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, located at Atlantic City International Aiport, N.J. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht
U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Ryno provides assistance to a family displaced by Hurricane Sandy at an emergency shelter at the Werblin Recreation Center in Piscataway Township, N.J., Oct. 29, 2012. Ryno and fellow soldiers are assigned to the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey Army National Guard. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen
Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby, Jr., NORAD and USNORTHCOM commander, and his staff receive an update on weather conditions in the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy during a commander’s assessment meeting Oct. 30, 2012. U.S. Northern Command is providing Department of Defense support to FEMA, tribal, state and local response efforts due to the hurricane. Part of the USNORTHCOM Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) mission directs the command to plan and anticipate actions that it may need to take to support civil authorities. USNORTHCOM plays an important role in disaster response; however, all efforts are in support of a lead federal agency working closely with state and local officials. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Thomas Doscher
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Bill Bernard
9:24 AM November 1, 2012
I have an imagery enhancement technology that works with all digital data and if there are photos or video that were collected under less than favorable conditions it will allow access to all digital content in real time. Please go to http://www.defvisionhd.com for further details. We could make this technology available to help with the disaster response to Sandy.