MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala — As Hurricane Helene churns toward the southeastern U.S., the Federal Emergency Management Agency has set up an incident support base in coordination with the 42d Air Base Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

FEMA employees have been pre-staging equipment and life-sustaining commodities for distribution to areas that could be affected along the Gulf Coast. Since Sept. 24, more than 450 trucks loaded with essential supplies such as meals, water, cots and generators have arrived at a hurricane operations staging area on Maxwell’s airfield.

“Maxwell has a vast airfield capable of supporting hundreds of trucks and equipment while also continuing air operations,” said Lt. Col. Ara Bartemes, Operations Support Squadron, commander. “It’s great to work with our federal partners from FEMA and the U.S. Army of Corps Engineers, we’re always ready to support them when needed.”

Supplies were shipped from the Atlanta Distribution Center to enable pre-positioning and quick distribution in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s landfall.

“The key to a successful response to a natural disaster like Hurricane Helene is preparation,” said FEMA spokesperson Arthur Manning. “By pre-positioning these supplies at a strategic location like Maxwell, we can quickly distribute them to the areas that need them most.”

FEMA’s mission is to help people before, during and after disasters.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but we have people who really enjoy helping people,” Manning said. “Our priority is to support state requests for commodities and resources to help keep their residents and communities safe.”

Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall in the southeastern U.S. later this week and could potentially become a Category 4 storm. Residents in the Florida Keys and along Florida’s west coast are being urged to take all necessary precautions to prepare for the storm.