HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut Guard members have rescued residents trapped by the aftermath of Hurricane Irene and helped clear debris, assess damage and support civil authorities responding to emergency calls.
With Hurricane Irene's projected path going through Connecticut, the 192nd Multi-Functional Engineer Battalion prepared and planned for the worst.
Chainsaws, construction equipment and vehicles were pre-positioned at key shoreline locations around the state. Operations Centers were opened and contact made with local leaders and authorities.
With all of this accomplished days before landfall, the 192nd was well-prepared to provide evacuation support, emergency relief and debris clearance.
About 120 engineers were brought on to state active duty on Aug. 27 and stationed at two armories near the shoreline. Soldiers were assigned to heavy and light debris removal and route clearance teams.
Heavy teams consisted of three chainsaws, one I-HMEE, one LMTV and one HMMWV. Light teams consisted of chainsaws and one HMMWV. The light teams were designed to provide quick response to trees down over key roadways.
As the storm surge hit the shoreline communities, the engineers tasked four Soldiers and two HMMWVs with the 103rd Air Control Squadron at the Orange Air National Guard Base in anticipation of evacuation support for Milford and Orange. These Soldiers rolled-out with the local fire department on every call they received.
The engineers also supported missions with local police departments to drive flooded shoreline roads with LMTVs. With the high water capabilities of the LMTVs, the Connecticut Army National Guard Soldiers were able to reach many residents who found themselves trapped by flooded streets. Engineers reported gas leaks and provided damage assessments to local town officials.
As the battalion leadership toured the Milford area on Aug. 27, they stopped to assist in the emergency evacuation of a civilian hurt during the storm. They assisted the civilian through the flooded water and worked with paramedics to load him on to a stretcher and into an ambulance.
Soldiers of the 192nd Engineer Battalion were tasked to support a mission in Bristol, along with the 143rd Military Police Company. The mission again was to use vehicles with high water capabilities to drive the flooded streets and rescue civilians trapped by flooding rivers. The MPs reported to the incident commander in Bristol and learned that a woman and her son were trapped in their house and were requesting to be rescued. The MPs were able to drive through the flooded streets, back up to the house and assist the woman and boy into the vehicle and drive them to dry ground, where they were met by family members.
The response in Bristol took a sad turn of events as the engineer and MP missions turned to assisting local firefighters searching for a man who capsized in a canoe along the flooded Pequabuck River.
Two men had attempted to canoe across the flooded river when the canoe capsized. One man was rescued, but his companion travelled downstream with the capsized canoe. The engineers assisted in identifying a landing zone for a search and rescue helicopter and searching the riverbanks for the missing man. The MPs continued to search for the missing boater. His body was not located until the next day by local authorities.
As the weather cleared the morning of Aug. 29, the engineers were once again on the road in support of a Commodities Distribution Center being set up at Rentschler Field in East Hartford to receive and download emergency supplies coming in to the state.
The battalion also continued recon missions along the Connecticut shoreline providing intelligence, engineer assessments and pictures to local authority incident commanders.