Air National Guard assists FEMA, provides staging area for storm relief Published Nov. 3, 2012 By Staff Sgt. Sherre Grebenstein 167AW/PA MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency stared using West Virginia Air National Guard's 167th Airlift Wing here Thursday as a staging area to push out much needed storm relief supplies to Mountain State residents hit hardest by Super Storm Sandy. Airmen and Soldiers from the West Virginia National Guard are working in tandem to ensure the emergency supplies trucked in from around the country will be distributed to those in need. The Air National Guard is assisting FEMA as part of its Domestic Operations mission, assisting federal and local agencies during times of natural and manmade disasters. Operations spun up operations Thursday morning with approximately 3.5 million liters of water, 600,000 self-heating emergency meals as well as infant and toddler kits slated to be delivered as needed during relief efforts. "We will maintain 80 to 100 truckloads here at all times," said Joe D'Angelo, FEMA's Incident Management Assistance Team logistics chief for Region III. D'Angelo said he expects the base to be used as a staging area through at least next week. Two companies from the West Virginia Army National Guard's 77th Brigade will be tasked with distributing the needed supplies to Mountain State residents. Guardsmen from the 1201st Forward Support Company and Delta 230th FSC will take to the roadways to drop off the supplies. "We're going to turn them into ice truckers," said Master Sgt. Keith Bibb, a property book officer for the 77th Brigade. As of Thursday evening, the 120 Guardsmen assigned to the mission were awaiting their first marching orders to begin distribution of the supplies. "We're loaded, cocked and ready to go," Bibb said. "We are staged waiting for our mission."