CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the West Virginia Army National Guard and Air National Guard have been integral as recovery from historic flooding continues.
State Adjutant General James Hoyer said on MetroNews “Talkline” Monday that cleanup and rebuilding destroyed homes remains a top priority moving forward.
“Obviously debris removal is a big piece, not just what’s coming out of these homes, but starting to look at what the process is for those homes that are completely destroyed that we have to remove.”
Hoyer said two dozen guardsmen were affected by the flooding, with six of them losing everything.
“This is difficult on families, it’s difficult on guardsmen, but this is part of why they sign up,” Hoyer said. “We’re all volunteers and this is why they do it. They stay pretty motivated; we’ve got a rest rotation schedule going.”
He wanted the National Guard to emerge as a leading presence during what promises to be a long cleanup for some communities.
“From a guard perspective, what we’re going to do is continue to be that heavy lifter, lead by example and it’s time for us to turn on that West Virginia innovation and ingenuity as we go forward.”
Gen. Frank J. Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the town of Clendenin in Kanawha County this past weekend, which was devastated by the flooding.
More than 600 National Guard soldiers and airmen have been activated to assist in the wake of the flood.