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. 12, 2014

National Guard units begin responding to ice storm in the Southeast

By National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. - National Guard personnel from Alabama through Pennsylvania and the Northeast were gearing up for duty today as a storm began dumping ice and snow on southern roads.

By mid-day, troops were busy in Georgia and South Carolina as ice and snow pelted the region.

"This storm has come in waves and there is another wave coming toward us now," Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said at a noon news conference. At that event, officials announced that about 1,000 Georgia Guard personnel were on duty throughout the area.

Deal credited National Guard personnel with escorting home four blind students who had no way to get home to the Atlanta area after their school closed in Macon.

As of mid-day, no residents took advantage of shelter being offered at National Guard facilities, state officials said.

Deal thanked residents who had heeded the advice to keep off roads. Still, some photos showed Airmen emerging from ice-crusted vehicles to assist motorists on icy roads.

The South Carolina Army National Guard is providing 14 wrecker teams to various staging areas in the state to support the South Carolina Department of Public safety in response to the ice storm sweeping across the Southeast.

Snow was to start tonight in the Middle Atlantic, including Washington, D.C., Maryland and Pennsylvania and then spread northward into Thursday night. The weather service said snow may continue in portions of New England before ending later Friday.

The Virginia National Guard has been authorized to bring up to 300 Soldiers, Airmen and members of the Virginia Defense Force on state active duty.

The Virginia Guard plans to stage personnel at readiness centers along the I-81 corridor and in the Central Virginia area along Route 29, I-64 and I-95 in order to be ready to support potential response missions. The alert process to notify personnel to report for duty has begun, and they are scheduled to be in place by late afternoon to respond if needed.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a Virginia state of emergency Tuesday, an action that authorizes state agencies to be ready to assist local governments in responding to the major snow storm forecast to hit the Commonwealth.

In declaring a state of emergency, the governor authorizes state agencies to identify and position resources for quick response anywhere they are needed in Virginia and allows the Virginia National Guard to begin alerting and staging forces.

Other states in the projected path of the storm took similar action, including Delaware, where 120 Soldiers and Airmen awaited the call to duty. If needed, they will help transport Delwareans to safety, transport police and other first responders and assist stranded drivers.

"Now is the time for Virginia to get ready for this storm," McAuliffe said. "This state of emergency declaration will empower the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Department of Transportation, the Virginia National Guard, and our electric and cable utilities to prepare for a storm that is predicted to create power outages and significant travel challenges across the Commonwealth over the next few days."

Potential missions for the Virginia Guard and Virginia Defense Force include assisting stranded motorists, transportation of healthcare professionals and the seriously ill to medical treatment facilities, transportation of personnel or equipment to potential heating or sheltering locations and downed tree removal, said Col. James Zollar, director of joint operations for the Virginia Guard.

"We need to get our personnel and equipment staged at key locations before the severe weather hits so we can rapidly respond when we are needed," he said.

Contributing: Cotton Puryear of the Virginia National Guard, Maj. Cindi King of the South Carolina National Guard and Steve Marshall of the National Guard Bureau

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chadley Simms, infantryman, 1st Battalion-157th Infantry (Mountain), Colorado Army National Guard uses handheld counter-unmanned aerial system equipment to neutralize a simulated drone threat during a drone warfare familiarization course at a Fort Carson, Colorado, training range, April 15, 2025. The course, led by the Drone Warfare Cell, part of the Multi-Domain Special Operations Cell at 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), COARNG, paired traditional guard members with special forces to build interoperability and strengthen joint UAS threat response capabilities. (U.S Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Melissa Escobar-Pereira)
Colorado Army Guard’s Drone Warfare Cell Reshapes Warfighting
By Melissa Escobar-Pereira, | June 17, 2025
WATKINS, Colo. - As the battlespace continues to evolve, so too must the tools and training of those who fight within it. Among the quiet forces reshaping U.S. warfighting readiness is a specialized group called the Drone...

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Garret Carstensen, 716th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, helps Sgt. Luis Romero don protective equipment before carrying out an EOD clearance of a simulated weapons of mass destruction chemical lab June 9, 2025, at AJ Dock, Juneau, Alaska, as part of Exercise ORCA 25. The exercise is a full-scale all-hazards chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives joint and interagency training exercise testing and evaluating the operational capability of the whole-of-government emergency management system. (Alaska National Guard photo by Maj. David Bedard)
Alaska National Guard Leads Exercise ORCA 2025
By Maj. David Bedard, | June 17, 2025
JUNEAU, Alaksa - Dressed in hazardous material protective suits, two Airmen from the Virginia National Guard slowly crept into a quiet building June 9 at AJ Dock on Juneau’s shore.Virginia National Guard’s 34th Civil Support...

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, maneuver through the trenches during Exercise Baltic Viking near Alūksne, Latvia, June 8, 2025. Large-scale Combat Operations involve extensive military engagements, coordinated strategies, and significant resource deployment across vast areas.  The U.S. military participates in multinational training and exercises across Europe to increase lethality and strengthen partnerships with NATO allies and regional security partners.
Baltic Viking Enhances Michigan Guard Support for NATO, Latvia
By Staff Sgt. Joseph Novak, | June 17, 2025
CAMP ADAZI, Latvia — U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Michigan Army National Guard recently conducted training with soldiers from NATO Multinational...