National Guard troops ready to respond to blizzard

By Todd Feathers, Globe Correspondent

As forecasters deliver dire predictions about the coming blizzard, Massachusetts National Guard troops are beginning to mobilize in response to weather-related emergencies.

By 11 a.m. today there were 134 soldiers on duty, spread between Joint Force Headquarters in Milford and bases in Bourne and Dorchester, the National Guard said.

Governor Deval Patrick said Thursday evening that he had activated 500 Guard members who would join 500 Guard full-timers today. He also said that 5,000 to 6,000 Guard members had had training scheduled for this weeekend. That training has been canceled so those soldiers are now available.

More troops are expected to mobilize throughout the day, especially after the storm is expected to pick up around noon.

Soldiers at the Bourne and Dorchester bases were performing routine maintenance on emergency vehicles, while the guard’s emergency planning cell coordinated weather operations from the Milford headquarters.