Arnold AFB staff rallies for flood response

  • Published
  • By Jason Austin
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  For the next week, the Nashville disaster relief sites have been declared an alternate place of duty for all Department of Defense employees at Arnold Engineering Development Center.

Acting upon requests from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, AEDC Commander, Col. Michael T. Panarisi, called upon the generosity, expertise and "can do" attitude of team AEDC to assist in the relief efforts funneling supplies and solutions towards the hardest hit areas in and around Nashville.

"I traveled through the flooded areas on Saturday and saw firsthand how quickly the situation was deteriorating. I knew we would be called upon to help, and I was eager to get back to the base and unleash the talent at AEDC."

His first call was to local State Senator Eric Stewart, who was already working to ensure TEMA and the DoD were working together.

One example of that partnership came in the form of a TEMA communications failure. At TEMA's request, AEDC dispatched a contracted Aerospace Testing Alliance employee to Nashville.

"(He) was the only person that had the correct skill mix to fix the problem," said Michael Glennon, director, 704th Communication Squadron. "This was a request from the state EMA for this support."

So far more than 20 employees have signed up through Hands on Nashville and the American Red Cross to volunteer their talent to help those impacted by the flooding.

Additionally, two professional organizations on base, the American Society of Military Comptrollers and the Federal Women's Program, are teaming up to collect bottled water from AEDC employees and will collect water through Monday.

Over the weekend, Arnold AFB members will be collecting and delivering supplies to the relief centers as well as providing unique expertise to TEMA operations. Several have already deployed to aid in manning the call centers, others have volunteered to sort food at the Second Harvest Food Bank.

"Our goal is to help in any way we can," Col. Panarisi said. "I'm excited about our initial efforts."

For more information, contact AEDC Public Affairs at 931-454-4204.