California Disaster Medical Assistance Teams Deployed To Gulf States For Hurricane Ivan Response
Release Date: September 18, 2004
Release Number: HQ-04-181
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WASHINGTON, DC Two teams of medical specialists from California have been deployed to the Gulf States to assist in the response effort to Hurricane Ivan. Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed the California Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) to assist heavily impacted communities in the area with emergency medical needs following Hurricane Ivan.
"We have committed all available resources to help the residents impacted by Ivan, 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 California FEMA DMATs are staging in Memphis, TN and Jackson, MS with other teams from around the country and will deploy into affected areas.
"We are prepared to help the residents in the Gulf States with their medical needs and we have some of the finest emergency medical personnel in California responding to this disaster," said California-9 Team Commander John Celentano. "The members of the team are experienced in these situations and are ready to mobilize when the call comes."
The California FEMA DMATs have responded to some of the country's largest disasters including Hurricane Iniki in 1992, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, the Northridge Earthquake, and the North Dakota Red River flooding. 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 teams consist of members from throughout California but are primarily based in Los Angeles and Santa Ana, CA. Each teams 35 members consist of physicians, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other medical specialists. Each unit is designed to be self-sufficient for 72 hours with supplies including food and medicine.
"It is a major effort to pre-position these types of resources," said Kenneth Miller, California-1 Team Commander. "If you wait for the storm to hit to initiate the process, you are already too late."
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, 18-Sep-2004 12:36:26