PINEVILLE, La. - Under the authority of Gov. Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana National Guard has forward deployed eight Guardsmen and two UH-60 Black Hawks with hoist capability as part of a National Guard force package, prepared to respond to Hurricane Irene.
Staged in South Carolina, the LANG Guardsmen are prepared to respond as part of an emergency response package assisting civil authorities in any storm impacted areas along the eastern coast, with priority missions being search and rescue.
The Black Hawks departed from Louisiana and arrived at McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Eastover, South Carolina, on Friday. The helicopters are from the 1st Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment out of Hammond, La., and from F Company, 2nd Battalion, 135th General Support Aviation in Pineville, La.
Follow on missions may include general aviation support.