An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Feb. 6, 2023

California National Guard Helps Take on Deadly Floods

By Sgt. 1st Class Whitney Hughes, National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. – As most of the nation eased into the first post-holiday work week of the new year, the California National Guard sprang into action to respond to devastating flooding in northern California.

On Jan. 3, directed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Guard activated the first wave of Guard members to support flood response efforts. 

At the height of the flood response mission, which lasted until Jan. 24, about 550 Guard members assisted authorities in Mono, Sacramento and Santa Barbara counties. They provided HH-60 Sikorsky and CH-47 helicopters and 32 high-water vehicles for potential rescues, clearing debris and other missions.

One of the units activated was the California Army National Guard’s 649th Engineer Company. Their initial mission was high-water rescue, but it quickly changed to employing their engineering skills, said 2nd Lt. Ken Ly, a platoon leader with the company.

“We were activated to help the Santa Barbara County, and diverted the water and helped remove debris and prevent mudslides,” said Army Lt. Col Donald Lipscomb, the commander of Task Force 185, part of the CANG’s flood response team. “[Guard members] worked nonstop since they hit the ground. I am proud of every single member of this company.”

The basin the engineers were working in is the same area where a deadly mudflow killed 23 people in 2018.

Spc. Ryley Sine, a member of the California community previously affected by flooding, said the mission took on a greater purpose.

“I have been impacted by these storms,” said Sine. “I feel prideful being able to help these communities, just knowing that they will be safer later on down the line in case it happens again.”

The Guard members diverted water and worked 24-hour operations to move more than 15,000 cubic pounds of debris in just nine days.

“Seeing my Soldiers out there operating heavy equipment, putting in maximum effort, and doing exactly what they’re trained to do, it’s really rewarding for me, and I’m sure it’s rewarding for them as well,” Ly said.

One of the Soldiers, Sgt. Jessica Andres, agreed.

“This is really what I joined the Guard for,” Andres said. “My intent was that if things got bad, I wanted to be qualified and able to go help, and that’s exactly what happened here.”
 

 

 

Related Articles
California Army National Guard Soldiers prepare to fly after sling-loading timber that will be used to conserve a cultural site in the Stanislaus National Forest Oct. 30, 2024. The Stanislaus collaborated with the 1-126th Aviation Regiment, Cal Guard, to deliver critical supplies to remote forest areas near Cooper Meadow in the Emigrant Wilderness.
California Army Guard Delivers Supplies to Wilderness Site
By Sgt. 1st Class Kimberly Hill, | Dec. 3, 2024
SONORA, Calif. - When venturing out in the Sierra Nevada wilderness, the hum of a helicopter is the last sound you expect to hear while navigating the pristine, yet rugged, terrain.But when supplies need to be delivered to...

Guardsmen from Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin participate in a two-week Army National Guard Defensive Deployable Cyber Operations Systems-Modular Master Gunner Course at Jackson Barracks, a Louisiana National Guard installation in New Orleans, Oct. 28 to Nov. 7, 2024.
NGB Hosts Deployable Defensive Cyber Operations Systems-Modular Master Gunner Course
By Staff Sgt. David C. Kirtland, | Nov. 13, 2024
NEW ORLEANS – The National Guard Bureau hosted the second Deployable Defensive Cyber Operations Systems-Modular (DDS-M) Master Gunner Course at Louisiana National Guard’s Jackson Barracks Oct. 28 to Nov. 7.The course,...

U.S. Airmen assigned to the 126th Intelligence Squadron support and train Airmen and Guardians of the 213th Space Warning Squadron at Clear Space Force Station, Alaska, June 21, 2024, as part of the Polar Surge partnership. The joint effort between the 178th Wing and 213th provides space surveillance data to the NORAD Space Control Center.
From Ohio to Alaska, Airmen Unite for Space Intelligence
By Master Sgt. Elisabeth Gelhar, | Oct. 22, 2024
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - From the heart of Ohio to the rugged Alaskan terrain, the Polar Surge exercise is uniting Airmen, Guardians and coalition forces in pursuit of unparalleled space intelligence support to operations. Polar...