Photo courtesy of Michigan National Guard. Two Michigan Army National Guard members remove a log in storm clean up efforts in the northern Peninsula. National Guard units from Calumet and Kingsford joined units state wide in response to Governor Whitmer's state of emergency.

LANSING – More than 800 Michigan National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have been activated by Governor Whitmer to support Michigan communities impacted by the Northern Michigan Ice Storm. Most of the units are staged at Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in northern Lower Michigan and started deploying to communities on Thursday.

Among the units responding are the 1431st and 1432nd Engineering Companies out of Calumet and Kingsford, respectively. Additional units responding are:onse efforts:

• 1st Battalion, 119th Field Artillery Regiment (Lansing)

• 1071st Support Maintenance Company (Grayling)

• 1073rd Support Maintenance Company (Greenville)

• 1430th Engineering Company (Traverse City)

• 1434th Engineering Company (Ypsilanti)

• 127th Wing, Selfridge Air National Guard Base (Harrison Township)

• 110th Wing, Battle Creek Air National Guard Base (Battle Creek)

• 210th Military Police Battalion (Taylor)

“Our Soldiers and Airmen live and serve in the communities that are impacted by this ice storm and we are committed to helping our neighbors overcome this historic storm,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “We are working alongside our local and state agency partners to help clear roadways overcome by debris and supporting delivery of pallets of food to areas in need.”

The debris management operation includes mobile chainsaw teams and engineering equipment that can move between locations to support debris clearing operations. These operations include helping restore power to communities and reestablishing access to emergency communications sites. The MING is coordinating with state and local agencies including the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State Police and Michigan Department of Transportation.

On Monday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Governor Whitmer declared a State of Emergency to support Michiganders impacted by ice storms in Northern Michigan. In her declaration the Governor said, “I’m declaring a state of emergency to get help out the door as fast as possible for Michiganders hit by the ice storm. Yesterday, I activated our State Emergency Operations Center to coordinate our response. State and local emergency teams are already on the ground, and we will continue collaborating with local first responders too. I want to thank everyone working hard to keep people safe. We will get through this together.”

The state of emergency declaration includes the counties of Otsego, Oscoda, Montmorency, Presque Isle, Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford and Alpena in the northern Lower Peninsula and Mackinac County in the eastern Upper Peninsula.

“We are committed to supporting Michiganders and communities who were impacted by this weekend’s severe weather,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “The State Emergency Operations Center will help us coordinate with local officials and first responders on the ground to get people the help they need. Let’s keep standing tall for each other.”

The Michigan National Guard provides trained, combat-capable forces in support of the national security strategy worldwide and defense support of civil authorities in response to federal emergencies within the United States and state emergencies within Michigan.