SYRACUSE -- Some Central New York Air National Guardsmen could be heading down to New York City area to help with relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy.
100 members the 174th Attack Wing are standing by awaiting orders to deploy to some of the hardest hit areas in the New York City metropolitan area.
They are part of a statewide call up of more than 400 National Guardsmen called up by Governor Andrew Cuomo to assist emergency response crews in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
"We're going to help any way we can whether it is communications, moving brush, debris driving a forklift, we have people qualified in all aspects of that," says Master Sergeant Kevin Colbert, of Baldwinsville.
Airmen from the 174th are expecting to deploy to New York for seven to 10 days but they are prepared to stay longer if needed.
On Sunday, 200 New York Army National Guard soldiers were deployed to New York City. By 6 p.m. Monday, Cuomo said 250 soldiers and 150 airmen would be in place on Long Island.
Another 200 soldiers will go on duty Monday at armories in Binghamton, Walton, and Horseheads in the Southern Tier. Statewide, another 150 soldiers and airmen will be mobilized to provide command and control and logistical support.
(Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.)
