The U.S. Navy deployed the USS Oak Hill and the USS Kearsarge to south Texas on Thursday to assist in rescue and recovery operations in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
Both of the ships returned to their homeport of Norfolk, Va. to stock up on disaster relief supplies before heading south. “These ships are capable of providing medical support, maritime civil affairs, maritime security, expeditionary logistic support, medium and heavy lift air support, and bring a diverse capability including assessment and security,” the Navy declared in a Wednesday statement.
The Navy’s deployment is the latest in a series of steps to mobilize a large U.S. military response to one of the biggest natural disasters in U.S. history. Some 1,000 active duty service members under U.S. Northern Command are also either involved or preparing to participate in search and rescue operations from the air, if called upon by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Approximately 3,500 to 4,000 Texas National Guardsman are already involved in search and rescue operations.
Here’s an inside look at the USS Kearsarge — the US Navy workhorse that takes Marines to war pic.twitter.com/k7ru8vUEa8
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) August 18, 2017
Active duty forces had rescued approximately 1,200 civilians as of Thursday.
The U.S. National Guard is also posturing approximately 25,000 to 30,000 Guardsman in anticipation of a request from Abbott to respond to catastrophic flooding caused by the hurricane, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. James C. Witham told Pentagon reporters Tuesday.
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