SAN ANTONIO - In 2017, Mother Nature showed her strength to major portions of the United States, Virgin Islands and especially Puerto Rico.
"You can never script an exercise that can ever look like hurricane season 2017,” Col. David Beachman said.
When a natural disaster happens on land, U.S. Army North under the command of Lieutenant General Jeffrey Buchanan is ready to respond.
“He's very good at understanding that we're not going to charge out in the front,” Col. Nieave Knell said. “What can we bring to help that role? He's great at understanding that."
Late last year, the biggest response for Army North happened after category five hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. "There is a tropical rainforest on the northeast side of Puerto Rico,” Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan said, “there wasn't a leaf on a tree.
And when Army North is called to an area like this one, the Army is not in charge. It is there to assist the Governor, FEMA, and the people of the area. “I like to say, big ears and a little mouth,” Buchanan said. “Our culture is to take charge of things. That is usually not appropriate in this world. What we need to do is go to that person and say, 'where do you need help?'”
The three-star general says that when Hurricane Maria went through the island, everything was wiped out. Communications, homes, and even the ports of entry for boats and planes were inaccessible.
Unlike Texas' Hurricane Harvey or Florida's Hurricane Irma, Puerto Rico did not have any neighboring states where help could arrive immediately.
“I believe when you have a lot of complexity, the worst thing you can do is control more," Buchanan said. "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. You try to listen to other people and figure out what their situation is."
The command here at Army North is going to continue to prepare for the 2018 hurricane season, but one thing Lt. Gen. Buchanan said is that they are not just going to focus on the things that happened in 2017.
"I'm concerned about what's next,” Buchanan added. “What can we do now to make them more resilient for the year to come?”
On June 1st, a new hurricane season is set to begin, but hurricanes will not be the only disaster on Army North’s radar. "We don't keep our eye on just one ball,” Col. Beachman said. “We rehearse for many events."
Although Lt. Gen. Buchanan says that he is not focused on the start of hurricane season, he is keeping an eye out for all of the possibilities that could cause the nation harm. "To me,” Buchanan said, the nightmare scenario is that we have a disaster of some sort and then a terrorist attack."
And no matter what the Army North has to face during the year, the group will work to help whenever and wherever it is needed.
"It's tremendously rewarding to serve with men and women that share common values,” Buchanan said with a smile. “These values are intertwined regardless of service. It's great to be able serve with people that are just trying to make a difference."
