HARRISBURG - About 1,600 Pennsylvania Army National Guard troops are being deployed at armories in Northeast Pennsylvania and elsewhere to prepare for missions to meet Hurricane Sandy's fury, Gov. Tom Corbett said Monday.
The National Guard activated Task Force North at noon Monday involving 400 soldiers at armories in the Northeast region, said Sgt. Matt Jones, a spokesman for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
The task force is headquartered at the Scranton Armed Forces Reserve Center at Olyphant Avenue in Scranton, while the task force soldiers are spread among armories in the region, he added.
About 800 soldiers are being deployed as part of Task Force South, based in Horsham in the Philadelphia area.
Another 400 soldiers are deployed under Task Force West, based in Pittsburgh.
Deployment means soldiers have reported to armories where they are getting vehicles ready and securing supplies such as fuel, food and blankets, said Sgt. Jones.
The National Guard will get requests to undertake specific missions from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency based on information received from county emergency management officials.
An Aviation task force is usually activated after a storm passes to undertake search and rescue missions if needed.
Contact the writers: rswift@timesshamrock.com; jkohut@timesshamrock.com