Up to 1,000 soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps will deploy to western North Carolina to provide critical aid to the communities affected by Hurricane Helene, the Pentagon announced Oct. 2.

Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division and other units stationed at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, will be part of an infantry battalion task force that will support the delivery of food, water and other critical aid “over the last mile to the point of need,” according to a DoD news release.

The task force includes a forward support company that can provide fuel, water, mechanics and other specialists to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency in stabilizing critical lifelines and essential services, according to the news release. The soldiers will provide additional manpower and logistics capabilities to help authorities reach the hardest hit areas quickly.

After making initial landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Hurricane Helene tore into the Southeast, including the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, the Associated Press reported. At least 166 people have been killed, and many residents are without running water, cellphone service and electricity, according to the AP.

The active-duty troops began assembling Oct. 2 and were slated to move into the affected areas within 24 hours, joining other service members, including more than 6,500 National Guard troops and power teams from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, already supporting federal, state and local authorities.

As part of the mission, soldiers will deliver support and commodities to impacted and isolated communities, help with supply point logistics at staging locations and remove debris from damaged routes.

Equipment mobilized for the mission includes hundreds of high-water vehicles, dozens of helicopters and rescue boats from 12 states.

To streamline effectiveness and provide unity of command, Brig. Gen. Charles Morrison of the North Carolina Army National Guard was appointed the dual status commander for North Carolina efforts. This allows Morrison to command active-duty and National Guard troops and serve in federal and state statuses simultaneously, the DoD news release said.