By Ethan Wong

In October 2024, the Military Responses to Climate Hazards (MiRCH) tracker documented 48 military deployments in response to severe storms, floods, and wildfires in 11 countries, including India, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, the United States, and elsewhere. 

In the United States, recovery efforts and military deployments in response to Hurricane Helene continued into October. Members of the National Guard from Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and West Virginia joined the over 6,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen already deployed to the southeast, bolstering disaster response operations. The US Department of Defense also mobilized 1,500 active-duty troops to assist the National Guard and federal personnel. However, even as relief efforts for Hurricane Helene intensified, National Guards across the United States also began preparing to support operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which passed through Florida on October 9 as a Category 3 storm, only two weeks after Hurricane Helene. The sudden arrival of Hurricane Milton prompted an unprecedented military response in Florida, with the National Guards of Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, deploying soldiers, helicopters, and high-water vehicles to assist the Florida National Guard. In total, over 12,000 military personnel were mobilized in response to the back-to-back hurricanes, underscoring the immense damage and growing demands on military resources as storm seasons intensify.

Elsewhere, several countries in Asia also experienced extreme storms, particularly the Philippines. In early October, Typhoon Krathon hit the northern Philippines and continued on toward Taiwan, prompting military mobilizations in both countries. In coordination with the Philippine Armed Forces, US Marines also deployed on October 5 to deliver over 96,000 pounds of supplies to the remote community of Batan Island, Philippines, after the storm. Later in the month, Tropical Storm Trami tore through the Philippines again before hitting Vietnam, triggering severe flooding and landslides and killing more than 100 people. In response, the Philippine Army and Air Force conducted search and rescue operations and transported aid to flood-affected communities. The Indonesian Armed Forces, Royal Brunei Air Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, and Singapore Air Force also sent aircraft to support the Philippine Air Force’s humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations, emphasizing how successive climate hazards can strain and overwhelm domestic emergency services. At the end of October, yet another storm, Typhoon Kong-Rey, hit the north coast of the Philippines before passing through Taiwan, the largest storm to hit the island since 1996. Taiwan’s military activated 34,000 soldiers to assist with rescue efforts, and the Philippine Armed Forces continued to use air assets to deliver relief aid to communities impacted by Kong-Rey.

In Valencia, Spain, torrential rains in late October caused unprecedented flash floods that killed more than 200 people, with some areas experiencing a year’s worth of rain in just a few hours. The Spanish government initially deployed 500 army soldiers to the province to distribute food and water, assist with recovery efforts, and prevent looting. Deployments have continued, resulting in 7,500 troops currently active in the region. Although an emergency message was issued by regional authorities, many residents reported that the warning came too late, with some already trapped by the flooding, contributing to large protests breaking out over the government’s response. The situation emphasizes the importance of robust early warning and emergency alert systems, which could have saved lives and prevented the political fallout of inadequate resilience measures. Additionally, officials warned that misinformation was hindering the work of emergency responders and eroding public trust, an increasingly common challenge after climate hazards. Disinformation spiked immediately after the disaster, with false explanations for the flooding ranging from chemtrails to demolished dams. Despite assessments that climate change exacerbated the rainfall, some misinformation was also rooted in climate change denial, prompting environmental organizations to warn that this information could undermine critical mitigation and adaptation efforts. 

Meanwhile, armed forces also responded to wildfires. In Connecticut, helicopters from the Connecticut National Guard performed water drops in late October on a wildfire on Lamentation Mountain fueled by the driest period ever recorded in the state since tracking began in 1905. On October 12, aircrews from the North Dakota Army National Guard helped battle wildland fires north of Bismarck, and on October 1, the Croatian Air Force deployed a Canadair CL-415 firefighting aircraft and two crews to Greece to provide humanitarian assistance in combating wildfires.

To see the full MiRCH tracker with new updates for October, click here.