S.C. Air National Guard off to Florida

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The South Carolina Air National Guard is sharing a plane and some of its members to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Frances in Florida.

A C-130 aircraft has taken off from McEntire Air National Guard station in Eastover on its way to Tallahassee, Fla.

The plane will take Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and federal officials to Miami to begin assessing the damage from the hurricane, Lt. Col. Pete Brooks said.

Also, 10 members of the Guard's 240th Combat Communications Squadron are being deployed to Florida.

Their job is to set up a satellite communication network so officials can talk and share data in case regular lines of communication are damaged, Brooks said.

The help is offered as part of an agreement where states outside of a disaster share their equipment and personnel with other states, Brooks said.