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188th aids Arkansas flood victims; civil engineers deploy Disaster Relief Bed-down System

  • Published
  • 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  Arkansas National Guard troops were in southeast Arkansas before sunrise Wednesday to prepare for possible flooding in communities affected by the swollen Mississippi River.

In order to better support this mission, the Arkansas Air National Guard deployed 30 Airmen from the 188th Fighter Wing to deliver and set up a Disaster Relief Bed-down System in McGehee, Ark., in Desha County.

The DRBS supports up to 150 personnel with billets, shower and latrine facilities, kitchen and self-help laundry machines, as well as providing water purification capabilities.

The 188th also stepped up to deploy assets to assist relief efforts in Haiti following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that devastated the island nation in January 2010. The 188th deployed its DRBS to Haiti in support of Operation Unified Response.

In Haiti, the DRBS was used to house relief personnel from Expeditionary Medical Support, which helped provide medical care to earthquake victims.

The system was also used in Arkansas in January 2009 after an ice storm hit the northern third of the state. In 2009, the 188th Civil Engineering Squadron deployed 30 Airman to transport seven flatbed trucks packed full of cargo and set up shower and laundry facilities in Marshall, Ark., in Searcy County.

The DRBS is part of the 188th's Regional Training Site (RTS), which is utilized by other National Guard units nationwide to conduct field training.

For more information on the 188th, find it on Facebook.

188th aids Arkansas flood victims; civil engineers deploy Disaster Relief Bed-down System

  • Published
  • 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  Arkansas National Guard troops were in southeast Arkansas before sunrise Wednesday to prepare for possible flooding in communities affected by the swollen Mississippi River.

In order to better support this mission, the Arkansas Air National Guard deployed 30 Airmen from the 188th Fighter Wing to deliver and set up a Disaster Relief Bed-down System in McGehee, Ark., in Desha County.

The DRBS supports up to 150 personnel with billets, shower and latrine facilities, kitchen and self-help laundry machines, as well as providing water purification capabilities.

The 188th also stepped up to deploy assets to assist relief efforts in Haiti following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that devastated the island nation in January 2010. The 188th deployed its DRBS to Haiti in support of Operation Unified Response.

In Haiti, the DRBS was used to house relief personnel from Expeditionary Medical Support, which helped provide medical care to earthquake victims.

The system was also used in Arkansas in January 2009 after an ice storm hit the northern third of the state. In 2009, the 188th Civil Engineering Squadron deployed 30 Airman to transport seven flatbed trucks packed full of cargo and set up shower and laundry facilities in Marshall, Ark., in Searcy County.

The DRBS is part of the 188th's Regional Training Site (RTS), which is utilized by other National Guard units nationwide to conduct field training.

For more information on the 188th, find it on Facebook.