A crew from the Hawaii Air National Guard deployed to Texas on Friday to assist victims of Hurricane Harvey.
A C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft from the 204th Airlift Squadron, 154th Wing, carrying 16 crew members departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam at dawn after the National Guard Bureau requested their assistance for the relief mission, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
The crew first headed to the Memphis Airport in Tennessee. From there the Hawaii Air National Guard transported relief supplies to areas in Houston devastated by the hurricane.
Supplies to be transported by two flight crews and maintenance personnel include generators, tactical shelters, medical supplies and mobile kitchen trailers from other National Guard units from other states, the news release said.
They were expected to conduct multiple missions to aid victims.
“I’m very proud of our Hawaii National Guard airmen who were able to generate this mission on very short notice,” said Gov. David Ige, who met with crews before they departed.
“Hawaii stands with our brothers and sisters in Texas and I know the crew will be bringing the aloha spirit to a lot of people who are in great need right now,” Ige said in the release.
Meanwhile, as of Friday, 23 Hawaii Red Cross volunteers have either deployed or will be deployed to assist with the response to Harvey: Nine volunteers from Hawaii island, four from Maui, one from Molokai and nine from Oahu are in Texas or Louisiana, or are on the way there, to assist in relief efforts including damage assessment, bulk distribution, sheltering, community partnerships, finance, feeding and counseling. More Hawaii volunteers are on standby to possibly deploy.
