National Guard to provide backup,

More than 100 members of the Athens, Tennessee-based 117th Military Police Battalion departed McMinn County early Sunday to help local authorities in South Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

The battalion is carrying with it enough supplies to operate for about two weeks, spokesman Nicholas J. Atwood with the Joint Force Headquarters, Tennessee National Guard said in a statement issued Sunday.

Once processed through reception, the battalion’s mission will be to augment the local authorities by conducting door to door health and welfare checks, assisting with the manning of traffic control points designed to avoid impassable roads because of flooding and providing for the overall safety of those most affected by the storm, Atwood said.

“This is one of our busiest battalions in the state because of the capability of the MP Companies,” Tennessee’s Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Max Haston, said. “They did a fantastic job in the Virgin Islands last year when called upon, and I’m confident they will do no less for our friends in South Carolina.”

South Carolina requested help through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact process through which states

can ask for help in time of crisis or other natural disasters. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is the mitigating agency for such requests and works regularly with other state emergency management agencies to facilitate these cooperative agreements, officials said.

Atwood said the 117th Military Police Battalion is part of the 194th Engineer Brigade, headquartered in Jackson, Tennessee. The 194th Engineer Brigade has about 2,000 soldiers, and is considered one of the U.S. Army’s most diverse multi-functional engineer brigades consisting of an engineer battalion, an engineer detachment and two military police battalions, he said.