The Michigan Army National Guard is sending more than 1,000 soldiers to the South to help people affected by Hurricane Irma.
Maj. Gen. Gregory Vadnais says Guard members "are anxious to get down there" as soon as possible.
The Guard says it will be providing security, humanitarian assistance and aircraft maintenance. Approximately 425 soldiers from the 126th Infantry Regiment will first head to Camp Grayling in northern Michigan, pack equipment and then depart for Florida on Tuesday.
There will be dozens of vehicles and trucks in that convoy.
“Soldiers and Airmen of the Michigan National Guard stand ready to respond to Hurricane Irma,” according to a post on the state’s National Guard Facebook page.
Update: a task force of 45 firefighters and personnel, all trained in swift water rescues and searches, deployed from Holly, Michigan on Sunday, according to the Lieutenant Governor's office.