NATION : Army to Help Charleston Cleanup
About 435 Army engineers are being sent to Charleston, S.C., to help clear roads and clean up the historic city after the destruction left by Hurricane Hugo, the Defense Department said today.
The Pentagon said engineering units from Ft. Benning, Ga., and Ft. Stewart, Ga., were to begin arriving this afternoon to help National Guard and civilian cleanup crews in the area, where thousands have been left homeless.
The troops will be armed with a portable bridge, chain saws, dump trucks, scoop loaders and other equipment, Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams told reporters.
In addition to the engineers ordered to Charleston, Williams said, 500 more Army engineering personnel were on standby in case they were needed.
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