Tennessee National Guard returns home from Florida after Hurricane Ian destruction

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Tennessee Governor Bill Lee deployed 1,200 soldiers and airmen to Florida to assist with Hurricane Ian response and recovery efforts.

On Wednesday, three Tennessee UH-60 Black Hawks arrived in Tallahassee, Fla., to support Hurricane Ian’s response efforts. Now, the 17 airmen are stationed in Fort Myers, Fla., at the Southwest Florida International Airport.

More than two dozen states offered to help Florida.

However, Florida officials told more than 1,000 airmen and soldiers to return to Tennessee. Florida service members said it would handle the clean-up efforts.

On Thursday, President Biden gave a speech at FEMA headquarters about the importance of the country supporting each other during this difficult time.

“America comes together. We’re going to pull together as one team, as one America,” Biden said.

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