New York Air Guardsmen Mobilize for Sandy Relief

Seventy-five members of the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing in Newburgh, together with an equal number of airmen from the state’s 107th AW in Niagara Falls, deployed as part of the statewide response to aid in the recovery efforts after Superstorm Sandy ravaged parts of the state earlier this week. The Newburgh airmen are part of a joint task force conducting relief operations in Manhattan, according to an Oct. 31 release. The Niagara Falls airmen are staging from Camp Smith Training Site just north of Peekskill. Both contingents of are made up of volunteers. These New York Air Guardsmen are part of the approximately 10,000 National Guard airmen and soldiers on duty supporting the Sandy relief efforts in 13 eastern seaboard states as of midday on Oct. 31, announced the Pentagon. Among their contributions to civil authorities, the Guard forces are providing communications, shelter, and engineering support; evacuation and security capability; high-water vehicle support; high-water search and rescue; debris removal; and transportation, according to the Defense Department. (Niagara Falls report by Capt. Elaine J. Nowak)