RALEIGH – The Guard is on guard.

The North Carolina National Guard has 94 personnel on state active duty in preparation of Hurricane Earl. Soldiers and Airmen reported to various locations in Eastern North Carolina last night (Wednesday), with the majority in Edenton to begin preparing to support emergency operations. There are an additional 150 Guardsmen on standby.

This deployment came on the heels of North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue declaring a state of emergency on Wednesday afternoon.

These Soldiers and Airmen will be used for command and control, working as liaisons in N.C. Emergency Management field offices, assisting in logistics operations, and will provide a variety of security or reconnaissance assistance to emergency personnel. Additionally, two UH-60 Blackhawk aircraft and crews are on duty, awaiting missions, at their headquarters in Salisbury, N.C.

The N.C. Guard will continue to work together with North Carolina Emergency Management authorities to identify critical needs throughout this emergency. The N.C. National Guard utilizes a “Force Package” concept that is specifically designed to address a wide variety disaster support needs. These Force Packages range from engineering and security to logistical assets, aviation, power generation, route clearance and transportation.

The N.C. National Guard has approximately 12,000 Soldiers and Airmen in its ranks with almost 850 mobilized for federal active duty for overseas service. The citizen Soldiers and Airmen of the N.C. Guard have mobilized for numerous hurricanes and bring a great deal of knowledge and expertise to hurricane relief operations.