The state of Connecticut is sending eight National Guard airmen and a cargo plane to Texas to provide help after Harvey.
Gov. Dannel Malloy said the state has deployed a C-130H cargo plane and eight Airmen from the 103rd Airlift Wing of the Connecticut National Guard to help with response and recovery efforts in Texas.
The unit, including C-130H pilots, crewmembers, loadmasters and maintainers, left the Bradley Air National Guard Base in East Granby this afternoon.
“We know what it’s like to experience extreme weather events, and we know how vital it is for local and state governments to work together and provide assistance during times of natural disasters or other emergencies,” Malloy said in a statement. “I thank our Connecticut Air National Guardsmen for taking on this mission to give Texas aid during this great time of need. The State of Connecticut stands ready to provide support in the ongoing response and recovery efforts. The growing emergence of extreme weather events has transformed the way we respond to emergencies and is a key reason why we must continue strengthening our infrastructure to withstand the types of catastrophic storms that we’ve experienced in recent years.”
Harvey is Connecticut's National Guard only mission at this time and it is unknown when the airmen will come home.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all suffering from the effects of Hurricane Harvey,” Major General Thaddeus J. Martin, Adjutant General and Commander of the Connecticut National Guard, said in a statement. “Even on the heels of the unit’s first large-scale, overseas deployment, the 103rd Airlift Wing – and the entire Connecticut National Guard – stands ready to aid the men and women of this nation anytime, anywhere.”
