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"Texans Serving Texas"

FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLIC RELEASE:

Texas State Guard to Conduct Disaster Training Exercises in Erath County

AUSTIN, Texas (Jan. 19, 2016) – Members of the Texas State Guard , in support of local and state agencies, will conduct joint disaster preparedness exercises in various locations across the state this winter and spring.

The TXSG’s 2nd, 4th, and 19th regiments, Army Component Command, 3rd Battalion Texas Medical Brigade, and 3rd Battalion Texas Maritime Regiment and 454th Air Support Group, 4th Air Wing have partnered with the Erath County Emergency Management System to train for any natural or man-made disaster that might occur in Erath County, Texas. Almost 200 TXSG Guard soldiers will be participating in the Erath County exercises from Jan. 21-24, 2016.

“This mission rehearsal demonstrates our soldiers' abilities to support local emergency operations, run by local officials, during a natural or manmade disaster,” said Brig. Gen. Howard N. Palmer, Jr., Commander of the Army Component Command, Texas State Guard. “We are trained to provide skills such as mass care sheltering, emergency communications, ground search and recovery, distribution of food and water and staffing support to disaster district committees.”

These designated trainings across Texas are designed to strengthen emergency response capabilities by training for an emergency with operations in multiple displaced locations.

These exercises, training and community support functions will mimic, as realistically as possible, the scenarios that could occur should a hurricane, tornado, flooding or other natural emergency occur anywhere in the state. Soldiers will train in mass care sheltering, distribution of food and water, emergency communications, ground search and recovery, and staffing support to local civil emergency operations centers.

In recent years, the TXSG has been called to state active duty for hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and wildfires. The TXSG is the lead military component for Operation Lone Star in the Rio Grande Valley – the state’s annual humanitarian medical mission – and provides support to the state’s annual Oral Rabies Vaccination Program and the previous East Texas Medical Outreach missions in East Texas.

The TXSG is the state's volunteer military agency; trained, organized and ready to respond when a disaster strikes and Texans need help. The TXSG is comprised of more than 2,200 volunteers organized into four components – Army, Air, Medical and Maritime – with individual units assigned throughout the state.

Texas State Guard personnel train one weekend each month and attend a four-day annual training exercise every year.

For more information about the TXSG, visit https://tmd.texas.gov.

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The mission of the Texas Military Department (TMD) is to provide the Governor and the President with ready and trained forces in support of the citizens of Texas and State and Federal civil/military authorities at home and abroad.

The Texas Military Department is commanded by the Adjutant General of Texas, the state's senior military official appointed by the governor. The Texas Military Department includes the Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG), the Texas Air National Guard (TXANG), the Texas State Guard (TXSG) and the Domestic Operations Command (DOMOPS).

For more information about the Texas Military Department visit our website at www.tmd.tx.gov.