Nova Wants Guard Standby Plans Locked In Before Every Blizzard

CBS News reports that the Minnesota National Guard has Chinooks, tracked vehicles, and crews on standby as this weekend’s storm threatens to bury highways and strand drivers. Nova says that is the right call, but the state still needs a permanent Guard-county compact so we are never improvising in a whiteout.

The story highlights Guard commanders pre-positioning at Camp Ripley and working with county sheriffs to plan rescues. Nova’s plan codifies that coordination, assigning staging lots, fuel contracts, and reimbursement rules months before winter even starts, so soldiers know exactly where to go and counties know what help they are getting.

He also wants Guard support paired with civilian readiness. That means the Minnesota Tax Tracker would show residents where rescue equipment sits, which counties requested assistance, and how long it took to reach each call. Transparency is how trust is rebuilt after years of cobbling plans together on the fly.

Nova is calling for better benefits for Guard families too. When soldiers leave their civilian jobs for storm duty, the state should provide childcare stipends, hotel vouchers, and job protection. He knows from his own service that rushed deployments strain families unless the state steps up.

If Minnesotans want a governor who treats Guard call-ups as part of a year round emergency playbook, Nova is ready to lead. He is determined to match the Guard’s professionalism with a government that finally plans ahead.

Source: CBS NEWS