New York Disaster Medical Assistance Team Deployed To Florida
Release Date: September 5, 2004
Release Number: HQ-04-164
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Frances
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A team of medical specialists from New York has been deployed to Florida to assist in the response effort to Hurricane Frances. Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed the New York 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 New York FEMA DMAT is staging in Atlanta with other teams from Ohio, Michigan and Rhode Island 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 New York responding to this disaster,” said Nitin Natarajan, New York Team Commander. “The members of the team are experienced in these situations and are ready to mobilize when the call comes.”
The New York FEMA DMAT has responded to some of the country’s largest disasters including 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).
The team consists of members from throughout the state but is based in Valhalla and is sponsored by Westchester Medical Center. The team’s 35 members consist of physicians, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other medical specialists. The unit is designed to be self-sufficient for 72 hours with supplies including food and medicine. The team’s primary mission is to supplement the medical needs in the areas heavily impacted by the hurricane.
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: Sunday, 05-Sep-2004 13:08:44