Michigan Disaster Medical Assistance Team Deployed To Florida
Release Date: September 4, 2004
Release Number: HQ-04-156
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Frances
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A team of medical specialists from Michigan has been deployed to Florida to assist in the response effort to Hurricane Frances. Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed the Michigan Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) to assist heavily impacted communities in Florida with emergency medical needs following Hurricane Frances.
"We have committed all available resources to help the residents of Florida, including deploying the DMATs who will play a critical medical role in the response effort," said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
The Michigan FEMA DMAT is staging in Atlanta with other teams from Ohio, Rhode Island and New York and will deploy into affected areas soon after Hurricane Frances moves through the state.
"We are prepared to help the residents of Florida with their medical needs and we have some of the finest emergency medical personnel in Michigan responding to this disaster," said Michigan Team Commander Charlene Teeter. "The members of the team are experienced in these situations and are ready to mobilize when the call comes."
The Michigan FEMA DMAT has responded to some of the country's largest disasters including the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, and Hurricane Isabel just a year ago. Teams are part of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), which is one of the resources brought to FEMA since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
FEMA's DMATs have recently responded to large-scale disasters including The World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001, Hurricane Isabel in September 2003, the Bam, Iran Earthquake in December 2003 and Hurricane Charley last month. NDMS Teams have also been deployed in 2004 to support the G8 Summit in Georgia, the National Democratic Convention in Boston and the Republican National Convention in New York.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration
Last Modified: Saturday, 04-Sep-2004 20:29:39