CAMP GRAYLING — The Michigan Army National Guard was activated to help in the aftermath of the March 30 ice storm. Soldiers are still in communities removing debris as linemen from various electric companies continue to restore power.
More than 800 Michigan Army National Guard soldiers and airmen have been deployed to northern Michigan after the ice storm. The first to arrive at the scene were the 177-6 Military Police Company, known as the quick reaction force. Their mission is wellness checks.
Captain Jennifer Morrison says soldiers from down state were shocked by the amount of damage.
“It was bad. It looked like a natural disaster because it was,” says Captain Jennifer Morrison, “The power lines just on the ground. Poles snapped in half, power lines across the road. It was. It was the realistic aspect. Our units down in Taylor, Michigan, which is in the Metro Detroit area, and that reality of how bad the storm was hit the soldiers very hard ... So, it was very shocking to see how bad the damage was.”
For every mission there is the operations headquarters that works out the logistics. The National Guard will receive asset requests, track numbers of equipment and soldiers in the field, and keep track of safety concerns.
Sergeant First Class Jacob Rizkallah says the mission cannot operate without them.
“Everything we just talked about goes in and out of here. Comes from higher, gets dispersed down to the last, you know, private out there actually doing the mission. So, if it doesn’t come from here, it doesn’t happen.”
Sergeant First Class Kyle Greenway, task force engineer, is in charge of debris clean-up operations
He has heard some dramatic stories from out in the field.
“One that really stuck out in my mind was an older couple that just came back from their vacation home in Florida. They didn’t know about the ice storms, and they were stranded at the end of their driveway with about 70 feet of trees blocking them from their house. And our soldiers were able to assist them and brought tears to the soldiers and the older couple themselves.”
Lieutenant Colonel Alex Kashenider says soldiers are still deployed because work isn’t done yet.
“We still have soldiers deployed, primarily engineers, still working in concert with the county reps and clearing roads, getting things cleaned up. We’re getting to a good point, I think, but we are still committed to the mission.”