{"id":27780,"date":"2017-08-29T17:26:03","date_gmt":"2017-08-29T17:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/08\/29\/navy-and-marines-prepare-to-deploy-to-help-hurricane-harvey-victims\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:54:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:54:36","slug":"navy-and-marines-prepare-to-deploy-to-help-hurricane-harvey-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2017\/08\/29\/navy-and-marines-prepare-to-deploy-to-help-hurricane-harvey-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy and Marines prepare to deploy to help Hurricane Harvey victims"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, are getting ready to deploy to the Texas Gulf Coast aboard the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge in case they are called upon to help residents struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy is preparing for the Virginia-based Kearsarge and the dock landing ship Oak Hill to get underway in case the ships are needed to help local emergency responders and the National Guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are continuing to plan and ready assets, should we get the call,\u201d said Lt Cmdr. Brian Wierzbicki, spokesman for Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk. \u201cWe have gotten no official tasking as yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, at least six Navy MH-60 Knighthawk helicopters were in Houston Tuesday rescuing civilians as part of a coordinated federal response to massive flooding that has all-but paralyzed the city, the result of Hurricane Harvey that made landfall Aug. 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Marine Corps is working with the Navy to load Marines with the 26th Marine Expeditionary aboard Kearsarge, which would likely deploy with MV-22B Ospreys, helicopters and small landing craft, officials said on Tuesday. The Corps is working with U.S. Northern Command and federal and state agencies to determine the scope of the mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\t