State Partnership Program

Video by Master Sgt. Carl Clegg

Hurricane Florence – SC National Guard responds

South Carolina National Guard

Sept. 21, 2018 | 0:56

South Carolina National Guard's 43rd Civil Support Team from West Columbia, S.C. along with Pfc. Michael Makowski and other Soldiers from the 1-118th Infantry Battalion from Mt. Pleasant, S.C. were tasked to launch an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Raven, to capture real-time video imagery of the flooding and potential for additional impact areas as flooding continues in Conway and Myrtle Beach, S.C. along Hwy 501, Sept. 21, 2018. This is their fourth aerial reconnaissance mission this week in support of flooding that continues to effect many areas of the Carolinas. Such missions must be coordinated and approved by the Secretary of Defense, with these being the first time a UAV was used in direct support of relief efforts caused a natural disaster. South Carolina National Guard Engineers and Transportation Corps are placing sandbags along the highway to ensure roadways remain passable and communities are not cut-off on the main route to highly populated Myrtle Beach, S.C. They have laid nearly three miles of barrier protecting a mile and a half of road with sandbags and flood barriers to keep the road open from flooding. There are approximately 2,200 South Carolina Guards Soldiers 40 Airmen and 100 State Guard on duty as well as 28 Soldiers and Airmen from Pennsylvania and Alaska National Guard and 8 troops from the New York National Guard and 100 Tennessee National Guard assisting response efforts from the impacts of Hurricane Florence. (U.S. National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Carl Clegg)