MADISON — Gov. Scott Walker is calling the Wisconsin National Guard emergency personnel to active duty to assist in hurricane relief.
Walker has issued an executive order activating guard members to provide medical and other assistance for victims of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The governor says the order is the result of assistance requests by Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. There's no immediate word on how many guard members will be sent to help.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency says more than one-fourth of Puerto Rico's residents don't have potable running water and only 17 percent have electricity. Most roads remain closed. Conditions in the U.S. Virgin Islands are bad as well, with widespread power outages.