fyi:
National Guard
– There are now more than 10,000 National Guard members on State Active Duty in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. By tomorrow night there will be more than 20,000. The Guard will provide as many more as may be required.
– The National Guard is providing essential personnel and critical equipment to the states affected by Hurricane Katrina through their emergency management agencies.
– Affected states are assessing their respective situations and requesting equipment and personnel to respond to immediate needs through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). (Nearly every state participates in the EMAC, which provides for National Guard troops in one state to support operations in another state, thus significantly increasing the size of National Guard forces available to any state).
– National Guard elements from nearly all states are providing or are positioned to provide additional assistance as required.
– The National Guard is augmenting civilian law enforcement in support of their missions, not in lieu of it.
– The National Guard remains under the command and control of state civil authority and is in support of the chief law enforcement officer of the parish/county.
In Addition
– Seven ships have been staged or are en route to the affected areas with approximately 6,000 Active duty personnel.
– Approved FEMA requests for Department of Defense Assistance include:
– 583,000 cases of MREs – 6 million meals, 9 million pounds of ice, 200,000 cases of water.
– Providing a 500-bed field hospital (New Orleans International Airport)