The National Guard’s mission in Texas has expanded to include helping to provide security in Houston.
Roughly 1,000 military police from the Texas Army National Guard are assisting the Texas Department of Public Safety by guarding essential facilities, the Pentagon announced on Thursday. Their mission does not include arresting looters or other criminals.
Houston imposed an overnight curfew starting on Wednesday to deter looting, but so far police have not made any arrests or issued any citations for curfew violations, Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted on Thursday.
So far, about 11,500 Texas National Guardsmen are on duty, according to the Texas Military Department. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has activated 14,000 guardsmen and bringing in another 10,000 guardsmen from other states to join rescue and recovery efforts.
Since it first made landfall on Aug. 25 as a Category 4 storm, Hurricane Harvey has inundated southeastern Texas with unprecedented levels of rain. The National Guard and active-duty military forces have rescued thousands of residents, who have been trapped in their homes and vehicles by historically high flood waters.
U.S. Northern Command has deployed 73 helicopters, three C-130 transport aircraft and eight pararescue teams for search and rescue, according to the Defense Department. NORTHCOM is also sending 500 Humvees to flooded areas, of which 100 have already arrived.
The Air Force has committed 30 aircraft to hurricane relief missions including 11 HH-60 Pave Hawks, seven HC-130 Combat King IIs, five C-17 Globemaster IIIs, four C-130 Hercules, one E-3 AWACS, one E-8 JSTARS and one KC-10 Extender, the service announced on Thursday.
A total of 997 airmen are taking part in the operations, two-thirds of which are from the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, an Air Force news release says.
Meanwhile, Marines with the 4th Reconnaissance Battalion have made welfare checks on more than 200 homes and four apartment complexes in Texas, said Capt. Andy Chrestman, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Marine Corps Reserve. They also have brought supplies to 150 homes.
Other Marine reservists with the 4th Amphibious Assault Vehicle Battalion have performed three MEDEVAC missions, Chrestman said.
