"Reliable communication is the most important thing to have during an emergency," said Spec. Joshua Garcia Rodriguez, from B Company, 35th Expeditionary Signal Battalion – Enhanced (ESB-E), refers to his mission of establishing a communications node on Saint Croix, one of the main U.S. Virgin Islands. His mission, along with the missions of two other teams on Saint John and Saint Thomas, is to establish and maintain constant communications across the Virgin Islands and become an information bridge to other federal aid agencies in the larger Island of Puerto Rico and the Contiguous United States (CONUS).

On Aug. 12, 2024, two days prior to the expected landfall of Tropical Storm Ernesto, three teams from the 35th ESB-E received notice and began preparations to depart to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Teams were in place on Saint Croix and Thomas before the storm’s arrival and began relaying information to their higher headquarters, the 1st Mission Support Command (MSC) Emergency Operations Center (EOC), as the storm moved through the West Indies.

Although neither the U.S. Virgin Islands nor Puerto Rico suffered the full impact of an official hurricane, many areas saw intense flooding, fallen debris and power outages. The 1st MSC Soldiers were there to coordinate efforts and relay information back to the EOC in Puerto Rico, which in turn could track and respond quickly if necessary.

The annual Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and ends around Nov. 30. However, the 35th ESB-E knows that the peak season for their usual area of operations is August, September and October. With three months more to go, Spc. Garcia Rodriguez said, “We know we are just getting warmed up.”