RELEASED BY: LT. COL. GREG HAPGOOD

     PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
     OFFICE: (515) 252-4582
     CELL: (515) 971-6385
     HOME: (515) 986-5725

RELEASE: IMMEDIATE

IOWA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS PROVIDE WATER PURIFICATION ASSISTANCE TO KANSAS
 

In cooperation with the Governor of the state of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the Iowa Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, 26 members from three Iowa Army National Guard units have deployed to Fredonia, Kan. to provide water purification services.
 

The Iowa units include the 2168th Transportation Company, from Sheldon, and Spencer; the 1133rd Transportation Company, based in Mason City and Fort Dodge; and the 1555th Quartermaster Company (Water Purification), from Dubuque and Clinton. On Wednesday, the Iowa Wing of the Civil Air Patrol provided air transportation to one mission planner for an initial assessment. The Iowa Army National Guard Soldiers arrived in Kansas late Thursday afternoon and started producing purified water on Friday.
 

The Iowa National Guard is providing four Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPUs) (pronounced ROH pew), as well as two, 5,000-gallon water tankers to support water purification operations in Kansas. At full production, each ROWPU can produce 60,000 gallons of water per 24-hour period, for a total of 240,000 gallons per day.
 

The state of Kansas requested assistance from the state of Iowa to help provide potable water after Fredonia’s municipal water supply was contaminated by extensive flooding. Fredonia, located in the southeast corner of Kansas along the rim of the Flint Hills, has a total population of approximately 2,600 people, and is the county seat of Wilson County. Kansas Region III Emergency Management team members are serving as incident commanders at the site, which is located approximately 350 miles south of Des Moines, Iowa.
 

Support is provided under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (“EMAC”) (pronounced “ee mack”), an agreement executed previously between all 50 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia, to assist one another in times of crisis. EMAC is a national, mutual aid and partnership agreement that allows state-to-state assistance during Governor-declared or federally-declared emergencies. Once the conditions for providing assistance to a requesting state have been set, the terms constitute a legally binding contractual agreement that make affected states responsible for reimbursement.
 

For questions concerning this release as well as additional information about the operations, training, and activities of the Iowa Army and Air National Guard, contact Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood, Iowa National Guard Public Affairs Officer by email at gregory.hapgood@ia.ngb.army.mil or (515) 252-4582 (office), (515) 971-6385 (cell), or (515) 986-5725 (home. You may also contact Master Sgt. Duff E. McFadden at (515) 252-4666 (office), (515) 480-7647 (cell), (515) 251-7335 (home)or by email at duff.mcfadden@ia.ngb.army.mil.

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IOWA NATIONAL GUARD
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