Responding to a request from the state of Texas, the Iowa Army National Guard deployed 11 soldiers and two CH-47F Chinook helicopters Friday to the Houston area in order to support response operations for Hurricane Harvey.
The Iowa team is composed of seven soldiers from Company B, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion in Davenport, one soldier from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division in Boone, one soldier from Detachment 1, Company D, 2-211th General Aviation Support Battalion in Davenport, one soldier from Company C, 2-147th Aviation in Boone and one soldier from the 671st Troop Command in Johnston.
The aircraft and crew members will be utilized to move supplies, equipment and people.
The Iowa response was made in cooperation with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to the Texas request for support.
The legal basis for 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-declared 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.
