Missouri, Kansas National Guards sign agreement for joint levee patrol

Members of the 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard, fill sandbags during Operation Show Me Northern Tide June 4, 2011. The Missouri Adjutant General has assigned the 139th with being the first to respond to the flood, St. Joseph, Mo. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Kelsey L. Stuart)

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The adjutant's general of the Missouri and Kansas National Guards signed a memorandum of agreement this week. The agreement says that both states will assign Soldiers and/or Airmen to patrol federal levee 471-460-R, which exists in both states.
The agreement is a response to requests from civil authorities in both Doniphan County, Kan., and Buchanan County, Mo.
Starting today, Missouri Guardsmen and Kansas Guardsman will patrol the approximately ten miles of levee together on 12-hour shifts. This is in conjunction with civil authorities that started patrolling the levees earlier this month.
Levee patrol includes reporting sand boils, overtopping, and any other anomalies in the levee as well as keeping unauthorized people from being on the levee.
This is the second flood mission the Missouri National Guard has taken on in 2011 and the seventh flood response since 2007. Our Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen are highly experienced in flood response
The 139th Airlift Wing, St. Joseph, Mo., is a flying unit of the Missouri Air National Guard. The Wing flies C-130 "Hercules" aircraft in support of federal and state missions.