Governor Justice activates West Virginia National Guard to aid South Carolina

CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — Governor Justice directed West Virginia National Guard members to South Carolina to help with recovery efforts and disaster response.

The West Virginia National Guard was activated to support South Carolina due to the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene.

It’s heartbreaking to see the destruction our neighboring states are facing. The West Virginia National Guard is running to the fire without hesitation, as we always do. That’s what we do in West Virginia– we pull the rope together. I’m proud we can join forces with other states to support South Carolina in their recovery efforts.

My thoughts and prayers are with our brave service members, all the first responders in the area, and everyone affected by Hurricane Helene. Let’s continue to take care of each other.

Governor Justice

Those who will leave for South Carolina on Friday, October 4, 2024 will include 30 troops, including a contingent of engineers and loader dump teams, to help local state and federal agencies with debris cleanup and reconstruction.

When our neighboring states call, we will always be there to answer that call. The level of devastation we are seeing across our news feeds is beyond belief, and we know that both the citizens and the first responders in the impacted areas are in desperate need of help.

With the strong support of Governor Justice, we are ready to provide any and all assistance we can render.

Maj. Gen Bill Crane | Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard

Hurricane Helene was a Category 4 hurricane when it made landfall the Big Bend area of Florida, leaving behind large amounts of rain in states in the southeastern United States, which included Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

One town in North Carolina, Busick, located near Mount Mitchell State Park, received 30.78 inches of rain because of Helene, which was a record for highest rainfall because of a tropical weather system in Appalachia.

Helene caused more than 100 deaths across the region, 44 of which were in North Carolina, and more people remain missing in the aftermath of Helene. Not only did Helene leave a large death toll, the effects of the storm cut off multiple communities and left millions of people without power.

Major Disaster Declarations were issued for Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida by the Biden Administration.

The aid of the West Virginia National Guard was requested through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, or EMAC process, which is an aid agreement between U.S. states and territories that allow for the sharing of resources during natural and man-made disasters, and accompanying the disaster response system.

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