RALEIGH, NC. – Over 180 North Carolina National Guardsmen donned the uniform, prepped their gear, and answered the call to service as Winter Storm Kingston swept across the United States, making its way to North Carolina.

National Guard Soldiers and Airmen who enlist not only swear to defend the country, but their communities and their hometowns. On February 18th, Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency for North Carolina, resulting in the activation of multiple agencies including the North Carolina National Guard, days before Winter Storm Kingston crept towards North Carolina.

“We have had a tough winter season in North Carolina,” said Stein. “And it is not over yet. We expect more winter weather to return to our state tomorrow impacting the majority of North Carolina. This morning, I have declared a state of emergency across the state to respond to this weather development. As a result of that declaration, we are activating the cross-agency storm response that is the state emergency response team. It includes the Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, the North Carolina National Guard, the State Highway Patrol and our states’ utilities.”

NCNG Soldiers’ phones started to ring across North Carolina once the Guard was activated to respond.

“I was notified by my admin (administrative) personnel,” said Sgt Conner Morris, a geospatial imagery analyst assigned to the 449th Headquarters and Headquarters Company. “They had a little bit of a short time window. We got all the personnel we needed within about 24 hours. We were notified over the phone and then (by) email. We got paperwork sent through email and showed up the next morning and we were ready to rock and roll by 6:30 (a.m).”

Engines hummed and tools clanked as servicemembers prepared vehicles and equipment to move to areas predicted to be affected by the storm.

“We will likely be using the LMTVs (Light Medium Tactical Vehicle) and Humvees (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) that we brought from our unit,” said Morris. “Aside from that, whatever we need to do either to clear snow, help people out, distribute food and water; whatever we need to do.”

Service members can expect to receive missions such as personnel and vehicle assistance and recovery, commodity distribution, removal of fallen trees, and assisting our emergency management partners. Their efforts were concentrated on affected areas in the central and eastern parts of the state.

“This winter storm will likely hit the majority of the state,” said Stein. “At this time, our greatest concerns are potential power outages and road safety.”

This response follows service members assisting their communities off the heels of Winter Storms Debbi and Cora and Tropical Storm Helene. Soldiers of the North Carolina National Guard train on various topics from winter driving to swift water training to ensure they stand ready to respond to the community in their time of need.

“It can be very impactful for civilian life because it disrupts your workflow, your life at home; if you have a spouse at home or kids or any other things you need to take care of like pets, but the gratification of helping people when they need help the most makes up for it,” said Morris. “This is the reason why I joined the Guard; not just to do cool stuff, but to help people in a direct way whether that is with natural disasters or just helping out locally, charity events or whatever it maybe.”