More Connecticut National Guard soldiers are answering the call for help from North Carolina, which has asked for more assistance with Hurricane Helene disaster response, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.
The Connecticut National Guard’s Bravo Company, 2-104th Aviation, 1-169th Aviation Regiment have sent one additional CH-47 Chinook helicopter, one UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, and an aircrew of 16 soldiers to Salisbury, North Carolina to assist with moving supplies to communities in the western part of the state that are stranded after the storm.
They left on Friday and are expected to be deployed for approximately one week, the governor’s office said.
The 1-169th Aviation Regiment, which is stationed in Windsor Locks at the Army Aviation Support Facility, most recently returned from a mission to Afghanistan in 2019-2020.
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The governor’s office said the unit is deploying under the authorization of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid system among states and territories for lifesaving resources during natural and man-made disasters.
On Friday, Sept. 27, a five-soldier flight crew one CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the Connecticut Army National Guard’s 1-169th Aviation Regiment, and an eight-member urban search and rescue team coordinated by the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security deployed for North Carolina as well.
“Connecticut is prepared to lead by example and deliver assistance to our neighbors during times of emergency,” Lamont said in a statement.
“The soldiers from the Connecticut National Guard have always been ready to respond to any crisis here in our state whenever the need arises, and I am very thankful that they have accepted this mission to help our friends in North Carolina. I look forward to their safe return,” the governor added.
