As the nation continues response efforts to the damage caused across the southwestern United States by Hurricane Helene, Defense Logistics Agency Distribution continues to play a key role in whole of government support.

Recently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested 21 million meals ready to eat from DLA Troop Support to provide to those affected by the Category 4 storm that made landfall Sept. 26, causing extensive damage in Georgia, South Carolina, western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. DLA Distribution partnered with DLA Troop Support to transport the MREs from facilities in Albany, Georgia, and Marengo, Indiana to FEMA locations in Conley, Georgia, and Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama for current and future FEMA disaster response efforts.

"It's a testament to the expertise and reliability of the teams at DLA Distribution and DLA Troop Support that we are being called upon to assist with this important mission," said Perry Knight, deputy commander, DLA Distribution. "This demonstrates not just the vital role DLA plays in support to the warfighter, but how we support whole of government operations as well."

DLA Distribution is working with FEMA and contract partners to move up to 45 trailers out of the Indiana facility each day to deliver the more than 1.75 million cases of requested MREs to support recovery efforts in western North Carolina and Georgia. To date, more than 76,000 cases of MREs have already been shipped from DLA Distribution Albany, Georgia, in support of the mission, with more than 149,000 coming from the Marengo facility.

With Hurricane Milton set to hit the eastern coast of Florida, the DLA Distribution team is already looking ahead on how they may be called to support required recovery efforts.

"We meet with our counterparts at FEMA and other government partners multiple times a day to coordinate response to this and any other potential disaster recovery efforts," said Jason Shields, chief, integration and future operations, DLA Distribution. "That, along with the partnership with DLA Troop Support has been crucial to our response."

These planning and current support efforts are underway while the DLA Distribution Expeditionary team continues to support the FEMA Incident Support Base at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. More information on those operations can be found here.