An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Article Display

JB MDL service members clean-up wreckage

  • Published
  • By Airman Sean Crowe
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst service members began cleaning the debris left by Hurricane Sandy as soon as they were able to safely leave shelter here Oct. 30, 2012.

Hurricane Sandy damaged buildings, foliage and power lines on JB MDL leaving the service members here responsible for picking up the pieces. Security forces, civil engineers and emergency management were some of the first responders to take on the task of getting the base back to normal operations.

Security forces assessed damage dispatch reports to repair units and coordinated state and local government convoys based here.

"Civilian volunteers from all over the country compose the first-response convoys which include paramedics and fuel truck drivers," said Randall Calderon, Sr., 87th Security Forces Squadron senior patrolman. "These emergency convoys are prepared to go anywhere in New Jersey and can also assist in Philadelphia. and New York City."

Security forces also performed their regular defender duties in addition to disaster-relief aid.
"Security forces continued to patrol the base throughout the night as the storm hit," said Calderon.

Security forces worked with civil engineers after the storm to locate downed and damaged power lines to dispatch electricians to the affected area. The wind damaged transformers on several areas of the base.

"We repaired a cross arm, which holds lines in place, that had snapped due to the wind," said Tech. Sgt. Jose Leal, 87th Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Facilities System Element noncommissioned officer in charge. "The cross arm twisted the lines causing phases to short and leave the 3400 to 3500 blocks on base without power."

The 87th CES Emergency Management Office, which also played a critical role in the crisis response, coordinated the civil engineers and security forces.

"EM is responsible for setting up the Emergency Operations Center and coordinating the mission partners' efforts on base," said Steven Robertson, 87th Civil Engineer Squadron emergency management chief. "EM took part in Hurricane Sandy by coordinating the Federal Emergency Management Agency response center on Lakehurst, Trenton EOC and the base EOC. EM also organized the use of defense connect, a communication system, to establish communication for the base EOC."

These organizations and other mission-essential service members are responsible for the timely response to damage caused by the storm. The service members will ensure the base recovers from the hurricane and the mission of JB MDL continues.