Governor Bruce Rauner is sending some Illinois National Guard soldiers to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. About 150 Soldiers from the 933rd Military Police Company, based at Fort Sheridan will be providing additional security in Puerto Rico. The soldiers will be escorting relief convoys and conducting law-enforcement patrols on the hurricane-ravaged island.
The deployment comes one month after Governor Rauner sent a letter to the governor of Puerto Rico, letting him know the people of Illinois were eager to assist and would mobilize troops immediately if and when more boots were needed on the ground.
Under an Emergency Management Assistance Compact Puerto Rico agrees to reimburse the State of Illinois for all deployment expenses, estimated at more than $948-thousand dollars.
The Illinois National Guard also has approximately 60 Airmen on the island assisting with relief efforts. They are from National Guard units in Springfield, Peoria and Edwardsville. The Illinois National Guard is also assisting with hurricane relief efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
