CAF personnel to support emergency response to Hurricane Dorian in Nova Scotia

Earlier today the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale announced that a request by the Province of Nova Scotia for federal assistance was approved to restore essential services and ensure public welfare in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

Up to 700 military personnel in Atlantic Canada are preparing to deploy as early as Sunday morning, September 8, 2019. The military personnel expected tasks will including moving quickly into affected communities to safeguard lives by assisting with the restoration of power services, clearing main roadways and evacuating residents in flooded or severely damaged areas.

“We are fully committed to the task at hand to support Nova Scotia Emergency Management and will move quickly and with purpose to protect Canadians and mitigate the effects of Hurricane Dorian. As members of your community, this storm is our adversary just as much as it is yours,” stated Commander Canadian Joint Operations Command Lieutenant-General Mike Rouleau in a press release.

The press release noted this is the fourth Operation LENTUS deployment for the CAF in 2019 and will be identified as Operation LENTUS 19-04.

Joint Task Force Atlantic is in close communications with Nova Scotia Emergency Management in supporting the preparations for Hurricane Dorian to understand where and how the CAF can assist. Liaison Officers are integrated into all emergency management organizations to expedite communications between organizations.

“In response to Hurricane Dorian, the Joint Task Force Atlantic team has been in close communication with our provincial and municipal colleagues to ensure we are ready to respond rapidly in support of civil authorities to help restore our communities back to normal. We have already taken steps to prepare forces to respond quickly as the storm passes,” stated Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic Rear-Admiral Craig Baines in the press release.

The full impact of the storm remains unknown at this time, but the Canadian Armed Forces are committed to working with federal and provincial partners in order to mitigate the effects of the hurricane and keep Canadians safe noted the press release.

Public Safety Canada is the lead agency for co-ordinating federal emergency response in Canada. CAF personnel are in continuous liaison with Public Safety, as well as with provincial authorities and our other federal partners.