Is Nat'l Guard In NWA Ready?

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebilius says the war has drained her states National Guard resources. "Were missing front-loaders and dump trucks, backhoes, bulldozers, humvees to move people around. Were missing blackhawk helicopters that could do aerial surveillance and move heavy and awkward equipment," Sebilius said in an interview. That equipment now located in the middle east. Could Arkansas suffer the same fate? We went to armories in Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, and Fayetteville, looking for equipment needed to help a town after a natural disaster. Because of security issues at Fort Dix Tuesday, the guard did not want cameras inside its facilities or troops to speak on camera. At the end of the day this is what we found: In Bentonville: Just two humvees, and 3 generators. All for a town of almost 30,000 people. In Rogers, three humvees, and two generators, in this seemingly large area where equipment is stored. In Springdale and Fayetteville, the numbers were even smaller. Chris heathscott of the national guard in little rock was the only person to speak to us. He says the guard isnt set up to be 100% equipped. And they still dont have all the equipment theyd like. He told us, "those armories that youre referring to - they may not be 50% or 40% i cant speak directly to thsoe, but i can tell you - anywhere in the state, that if theres a requirement for a state mission - we are not limited to the armory in bentonville to support that mission." Thats exactly the issue. Kansas had to wait on other towns, meaning a delayed response. Heathscott says the delay would likely happen here as well. Listen to this finding by a commission reporitng on the guards ability to respond: "...in the national guard for the units that remain here in the continental united states, 88-percent of those are not ready due to equipment deficiencies." But Captain Heathscott assures me Arkansas will be able to respond to any natural disaster sufficiently. We just dont know how long it will take.