Disaster response is among the missions of the Michigan Army National Guard and they’ve responded twice in the past month.

Deployed first to South Carolina to help impacted communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene was a battalion of engineers from Montague, who are still there and then Thursday another group was sent to provide support for the task force in place to help Florida residents deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.

Among those deployed to Florida were members of the General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB) based at Selfridge Air National Guard base in Harrison Township.

“Michiganders are tough and we always help those in need,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a news release following the first deployment. “Members of our Michigan National Guard and Michigan Task Force 1 Swiftwater Team are risking their own lives to save others, honoring their duty and living up to the values that best define who we are. I hope they carry out the mission successfully and get home safe as soon as possible.”

Friday she also thanked service members helping Hurricane Milton relief efforts.

“Michigan will always stand ready to help our friends in Florida, and I’m grateful for the soldiers who are down there assisting in the recovery from Hurricane Milton,” she said. “As commander in chief of the Michigan National Guard, I authorized resources and support crews to support people impacted by severe flooding and help them continue to recover. When our fellow Americans need help, we always answer the call. Let’s keep working together to get through tough times.”

The CH-47 Chinook helicopters and several support crew from Bravo Company along with members of the Michigan Army National Guard and Selfridge’s GSAB arrived in Florida ahead of the hurricane making landfall and have been there ever since.

GSAB personnel have been assigned to assist with transportation of bulk and/or palletized internal cargo and sling loads to deliver commodities to isolated areas. Soldiers may also be tasked to assist with movement of urban search and rescue teams and other first responders.

As of Thursday, more than 6,500 National Guard members from over ten states have mobilized to support rescue and relief efforts in the wake of the hurricanes. Transported along with the service members were mobilized equipment including 11 rotary-wing aircraft, more than 400 high-water vehicles and 16 watercrafts.

The Michigan National Guard put their team together after receiving a request from Florida, through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). Through EMAC, a disaster-impacted state can request and receive assistance from other member states quickly and efficiently. All costs associated with deploying resources under EMAC are paid for by the requesting state. Members of EMAC include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

“Part of our mission is disaster response and we train to be ready to support our communities across Michigan during times of need and to answer the call from other communities when facing natural disasters,” said First Lt. Brock Cristal, executive officer for the 1436th Engineer Company.