Illinois National Guard Troops, Local Officials Conduct Evacuation Notice in Cairo

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Sgt. Randy R. Frank of Carterville, with the 2nd Battalion 130th Infantry Regiment collaborates with Spc. Jason Napiorkowski of Marion, Spc. Michael Lasseter of Harrisburg, and local law enforcement.

• Illinois National Guardsmen and local law enforcement conduct evacuation notifications along a street in Cairo after southern Illinois suffered a series of storms that flooded several counties.

CAIRO, IL (05/02/2011)(readMedia)-- Approximately 25 Illinois National Guardsmen from the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment (2nd Bn., 130th Inf. Regt.) along with local law enforcement and Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) officials conducted a mandatory evacuation notification of residents in Cairo May 1, after flood waters reached dangerous levels threatening residents' safety.

Judson Childs, Cairo's mayor, issued the order to evacuate on April 30 after storms caused water from the Ohio River and its tributaries to flood across numerous southern Illinois counties. The water has risen to record levels creating boils that raise concern about how long the levees can hold.

Sgt. 1st Class Heath Clark of Carterville, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Bn., 130th Inf. Regt. said the unit's mission was to assist the door-to-door evacuation by notifying residents of the pending danger posed by staying in the city. While the evacuation was listed as mandatory, residents were not forced to do so, he said.

Local officials and IEMA worked closely with the leadership in the Illinois National Guard to create an effective and efficient plan to ensure every resident was reached.

"We want to give everyone the opportunity to leave by explaining the situation is severe," said Clark.

Sgt. Randy Frank of Carterville, a team leader with the HHC, 2nd Bn.,130th Inf. Regt., hailed the coordination efforts by all parties as well thought-out and thorough.

He further explained the importance of the mission to some of the Soldiers, especially those who reside in or near the area, including himself.

A lot of Soldiers are from southern Illinois, so they actually get to see and contribute in helping in the area where they are from, said Frank. That allows them to take a little more ownership of this task.

"I played football against this town in high school so I'm pretty familiar with the area," said Frank.

The unit has conducted similar disaster relief missions in the past. Most notably they were called into State Active Duty to help control flooding along the Mississippi River in 1993.

"Everyone did a great job in staying positive and motivated," said Frank. "With the delicate situation of explaining to someone who could risk losing their home, our Soldiers took it all in and completed the job with a clean head."

Cairo Patrolman Kirk Snelson said the National Guard doubled the man-power and resolved the situation quickly.

"In a situation like this, the quicker the better," said Snelson. "We have no idea if these levees will breach, when they will breach, so the sooner we can get everyone out of here, the better - and that's why we're glad that the National Guard came down to give us a hand."

photo 1) U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Garibay, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs/ Sgt. Randy R. Frank of Carterville, team leader with the 2nd Battalion 130th Infantry Regiment collaborates with Spc. Jason Napiorkowski of Marion, Spc. Michael Lasseter of Harrisburg, and local law enforcement to ensure complete accountability of residents in their quadrants. Illinois National Guardsmen conducted evacuation notifications across Cairo after storms have threatened the city with high flood levels.

photo 2)U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Garibay, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs/ Illinois National Guardsmen and local law enforcement conduct evacuation notifications along a street in Cairo after southern Illinois suffered a series of storms that flooded several counties in the area. Guardsmen went door-to-door warning residents of the dangers facing the city.

photo 3) U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Garibay, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs/ Illinois Guardsmen Spc. Jason Napiorkowski of Marion and Spc. Michael Lasseter of Harrisburg knock on a resident's door in Cairo during an evacuation notification mission aimed at warning people of the threats facing the city. Several southern Illinois counties have endured severe flooding after a series of storms in the area.