Search and rescue teams working around the clock in Texas to help victims of Hurricane Harvey are getting some crucial remote help from the Massachusetts National Guard.
The assistance is coming from the guard's 102nd Intelligence Wing, operating out of Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod. A team of specialists is analyzing data from images of Texas, and using that data to keep responders on the ground updated about damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
They do that by inspecting digital images of storm-damaged areas. Massachusetts National Guard spokesman Lt. Colonel James Sahady says that allows them to do things like guide responders away from roads that are impassable.
While Sahady couldn't disclose how the digital images are obtained, he would say that the intelligence unit on the Cape has “special training where they go and they actually look at pictures — kind of like how maybe a specialized doctor looks at x-rays."
Sahady does say the guard has an operations center monitoring the situation in Texas closely, and that they’re in touch with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Sahady says the guard is always in a state of readiness and, if they get the nod from Gov. Charlie Baker or federal officials, they can deploy to storm-damaged areas in 72 hours or less.
