Operation Arctic Vengeance, Delaware National Guard's (DNG) response to the winter storm this weekend, now consists of 288 personnel working in shifts around the clock. Seventy-five military vehicles are being used to assist the citizens of Delaware.
DNG efforts are being concentrated in Sussex county, where citizens are now entering 36-48 hours without power. Of the thousands Delawareans currently without power, most are in Sussex.
Snow drifts and debris have made travel on secondary roads extremely difficult, even for military vehicles. Currently, the DNG is teaming up with DelDOT crews and vehicles to access Delawareans without power in these hard-to-reach areas. This partnership will allow one or two DelDOT plows to clear the way for military vehicle convoys being used for evacuation transport.
What began as evacuating a few people at a time as steadily increased to the average request being for moving 6 people. By the end of today, DNG officials estimate they have moved or assisted more than 1,200 people.
We have increased the number of larger troop transport trucks, know as Medium Tactical Vehicles, based on this need. They can carry up to 16 personnel. DNG wreckers, Heavy-Expanded Mobile Tactical Truck (HEMTT), have also been vital in retrieving stuck emergency vehicles.
Task Force Sussex is reporting that their average evacuation mission response time has decreased from three hours last night to now under two hours. It is expected to decrease even more with the implementation of the DelDOT team plan, "Operation Snow Plow."
DNG officials are also transporting dialysis patients across the state to their treatments and back home.
The Delaware National Guard anticipates their mission to continue into Monday. The rate at which homes get power back will most likely determine the extent of our support.
“As long as the need is there, the Delaware National Guard will be too,” said DNG Director of Military Support Col. Dallas Wingate.
