Governor Nixon signed an executive order to deploy the Missouri National Guard to respond to the imminent flooding.
Major Tammy Spicer of the Missouri National Guard says the guard will primarily be sandbagging, monitoring levees and working with local law enforcement for security and traffic control. She says they’re working out exactly how many citizen soldiers the effort will need. She says they have been in contact with local governments to assess the situation, but have the leadership for three task forces already set up.
She says they have 11,500 citizen soldiers and airmen who are ready to respond. This is the fourth natural disaster the National Guard has responded to in 2011. First was the blizzard in February, then the flooding in southeast Missouri. Currently they have 200 members helping in Joplin.
Spicer says the guard has members on duty now to begin the inital research and assessments, and as soon as they have a good idea of how many people will be needed for the job, they’ll be on duty.
(AUDIO) Allison Blood reports on the role of National Guardsmen in flood relief. Mp3 1:02
