The logistics of moving supplies, equipment, and civilian first responders into a disaster area while the storm rages require long, sleepless nights, Herculean effort, and no room for error. And the evacuation of victims before, during, and after the storm passes is dangerous at times.
During Hurricane Matthew, soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and guardsmen all stepped up to help those affected by the devastation. Here are 16 photos that show these brave folks in action:
2nd Lt Robbie Morris from second battalion 124th infantry regiment assembles cots at the ICI Center atEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. Soldiers and civilians joined together to provide assistance to civil authorities in response to Hurricane Matthew. (U.S. Army photos by Spc James Lanza) Nearly 600 Marines and sailors with the 24th MEU went underway with the Iwo Jima to support Humanitarian Assistance/ Disaster Relief (HA/DR) missions in the wake of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti. Iwo Jima and the MEU conducted a two-day on-load at NSN totaling nearly 225 pallets of supplies including 800 cases of bottled water in preparation to help people affected by one of the largest storms to hit the region in years. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Matthew Callahan)
A GOES-13 satellite image of Hurricane Matthew as it passes over the Bahamas. (U.S. Navy photo)
Georgia Guardsmen of the Monroe-based 178th Military Police Company move to assist first responders and citizens of Savannah, Ga. (Georgia National Guard photo) North Carolina Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Joshua Carr, a land combat electronics technician with the 230th Brigade Support Battalion, and local emergency services assist with evacuation efforts in Fayetteville, N.C., Oct. 08, 2016. Heavy rains caused by Hurricane Matthew led to flooding as high as five feet in some areas. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Shaw, 382nd Public Affairs Detachment) A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with Joint Task Force-Bravo’s 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, deployed in support of Joint Task Force Matthew, flies toward a supply distribution point in Jeremie, Haiti, Oct. 10, 2016. JTF Matthew, a U.S. Southern Command-directed team, is comprised of Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Southern Command and soldiers from JTF-Bravo, and is deployed to Port-au-Prince at the request of the Government of Haiti on a mission to provide humanitarian and disaster relief assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kimberly Aguirre)
A South Carolina National Guard’s CH-47F Chinook, heavy-lift, helicopter assigned to Detachment 1, Company B, 2-238th General Support Aviation Battalion, 59th Aviation Troop Command, lands at the Whale Branch Early College High School and delivers water and food supplies to the community of Seabrook in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, Oct. 9, 2016. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Roberto Di Giovine)
A search and rescue team with the Florida National Guard wades into areas affected by Hurricane Matthew to assist with disaster relief efforts. More than 9,000 Guard members are on duty throughout Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas assisting state and local authorities with search and rescue and relief operations. (U.S. Army photo) Coast Guard crew members from Air Station Clearwater, Florida, prepare an HC-130 Hercules airplane Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 for an overflight. The crew flew to areas north of Daytona, Florida, for an assessment of Hurricane Matthew’s damage and Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz, commander Coast Guard Atlantic Area, held a press briefing when they landed. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse) U.S. Marines deployed in support of Joint Task Force Matthew, offload bags of rice from a CH-53E Super Stallion at Les Cayes, Haiti, Oct. 6, 2016. JTF Matthew delivered over 10,000 pounds of supplies on their first day of relief operations, providing humanitarian and disaster relief assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kimberly Aguirre) Members of the 621st Contingency Response Wing ride with vital supplies for the U.S. humanitarian relief efforts in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, Oct. 9, 2016. The U.S. effort is coordinated by the Dept. of State and USAID. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Russ Scalf) U.S. Marine Sgt. Elena Moreno, a heavy equipment operator with Marine Wing Support Detachment 31, attached to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Southern Command, and U.S. Army Sgt. King David, a crew chief with Joint Task Force-Bravo, 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, unload emergency supplies at a distribution point in Jeremie, Haiti, Oct. 9, 2016. A U.S. Southern Command-directed team deployed to Port-au-Prince at the request of the Government of Haiti, on a mission to provide humanitarian and disaster relief assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Samuel Guerra) U.S. Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians work with local law enforcement bomb squad members to transport Civil War cannonballs washed ashore from Hurricane Matthew to a safe location at Folly Beach, S.C., Oct. 9, 2016. After the discovery of ordnance on the beach, local law enforcement and Air Force personnel worked together to properly dispose of the hazards. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Sean Carnes) U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Taylor Svoboda, 116th Air Control Wing (ACW), Georgia Air National Guard, saws a fallen tree during road clearing operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, Savannah, Ga., Oct. 10, 2016. Citizen Airmen from the 116th ACW deployed to Savannah to support civil authorities while working alongside the Chatham County Public Works department to assist in road clearing and debris cleanup operations. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Roger Parsons) Staff Sgt. Angelo Morino, 621st Contingency Response Wing, transports food and provisions for Hurricane victims, October 9th, 2016, Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. The CRW has units ready to deploy anywhere in the world in support of emergency operations, within 12 hours of notification.(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Waggoner) Sailors haul down the American flag aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) at sunset while the ship loads food, first aid, and medical supplies. Mesa Verde is in preparation to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts of Joint Task Force Matthew in Haiti, Oct. 5, 2016. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua M. Tolbert)
