Arizona National Guard, Phoenix Fire send crews for Hurricane Harvey
The Arizona Army National guard said Saturday it had sent four helicopters and crews to Texas to help support the response efforts to Hurricane Harvey.
A truck in flood waters passes a home damaged in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Aransas Pass, Texas. Harvey rolled over the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, smashing homes and businesses and lashing the shore with wind and rain so intense that drivers were forced off the road because they could not see in front of them. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)
PHOENIX — The Arizona Army National guard and Phoenix Fire Department each announced Saturday that they had sent crews to Texas to aid with response efforts to Hurricane Harvey.
The Arizona National Guard said it had sent four helicopters and crews. FEMA activated the Pheonix Fire Department’s Arizona Task Force 1 urban search and rescue team.
The National Guard crews will be on standby once they’re in Texas. They launched from Papago Park Military Reservation on Saturday. The Phoenix Fire Department’s task force will go to San Antonio.
“More than a dozen Arizona National Guard soldiers, a UH-72 Lakota helicopter and three UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters will join other Army National Guard aviation assets as part of a rotary wing pool prepared to quickly respond if requested,” a statement said.
“Phoenix sends not only our prayers to Texas, we’re sending a team of our best people to help save lives,” said Mayor Greg Stanton in a statement.
Phoenix Fire search and rescue teams have assisted in disaster cleanup efforts before, a statement said, including the Oklahoma City bombing, 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Harvey, which was downgraded to a tropical storm Saturday after making landfall on Friday night, was a Category 4 hurricane that struck areas near Corpus Christie, Texas.
A Texas mayor said Saturday morning there were homes and business heavily damaged and even completely destroyed in his town of Rockport.
“This is one of the reasons you sign up for the Guard. It’s because you want to go out and help people,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Samuel Bowman in the statement. “Opportunities like this is what we love. It’s part of doing our job.”
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Maybe you don't see because you're not looking. From the Heritage Foundation's report about the U.S. accepting aid after disasters, Katrina particularly:
"Soon after the severity of the catastrophe became apparent, the United States received a massive outpouring of offers of monetary and other assistance from around the globe. By late February 2006 foreign countries had offered or pledged a total of $854 million in cash and oil (to be sold for cash) to help with the disaster cleanup.[2] This large outpouring came from many countries, including longstanding major U.S. allies (Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom), and from other nations that are traditionally the recipients of U.S. foreign assistance (such as Bangladesh). There were also aid offers from several countries that were surprising, such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Pakistan.[3]
By the time donations and assistance stopped coming in, more than 151 foreign countries and international organizations had pledged to help the United States in one form or another.[4] Included in the $854 million were pledges of nearly $400 million worth of oil from Kuwait, which was intended to help replace the lost supply from the Gulf Coast oil rigs that were damaged or temporarily shut down due to the hurricane. In addition, the oil donations could be sold, and the money used for relief efforts.[5] Offers of aid in the form of disaster relief personnel, medical supplies, forensic teams, and many other types were also pledged to the United States."
"Houston, Texas...Hurricane!?!
I have a world-class mini golf course there, and a five-star hotel for hobbits only--
that lyin' George Stephanopoulos frequents."
Guess who?
I don't see any of these other countries that we help out when they have disasters helping us out when we have one ????