On behalf of Gov. Bill Lee, Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes, Tennessee’s Adjutant General, announced today that more than 320 Soldiers from the Tennessee National Guard have been activated in response to Hurricane Ida, which made landfall along the Louisiana coastline on Aug. 29.

Currently, personnel from the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 251st Military Police Company in Lexington and Savannah, 1172nd Transportation Company in Memphis and Waynesboro, and the 1176th Transportation Company in Dresden, Jacksboro, and Smyrna are preparing to depart for Louisiana to assist with relief and recovery operations.

These Guardsmen will assist with security in the affected areas, provide high water vehicles to support rescue and recovery operations, and provide vehicles to transport citizens out of the affected areas among other tasks.

The Tennessee National Guard has been communicating with the Louisiana National Guard and National Guard Bureau for the past three days to prepare for this activation. This mutual support among states is a standard process, which allows states within a region to be able to mobilize rapidly to respond to emergencies.

“Currently, we are actively engaged in relief efforts in Humphries County and with COVID-19 support statewide, but we are also ready to help Louisiana without impacting our support here in Tennessee,” said Holmes. “During our mobilization in Humphries County, I had numerous states reach out to me offering support and we, in kind, offered similar support to Louisiana. The ability to mobilize rapidly is one of the biggest strengths of the National Guard in each state. This capability has been on display for the last 18 months with COVID-19, domestic responses, and our federal missions. We’re continuing to uphold Tennessee’s volunteer tradition.”

The Tennessee National Guard will continue to work with local, state, and federal emergency management officials and will regularly provide public updates.