Georgia Disaster Medical Assistance Team Deployed To Gulf States For Hurricane Ivan
Release Date: September 18, 2004
Release Number: HQ-04-184
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WASHINGTON, DC A team of medical specialists from Georgia has been deployed to the Gulf Coast States to assist in the response effort to Hurricane Ivan. Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed the Georgia Disaster Medical Assistance Team (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 Hurricane 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 Georgia DMAT is staging in Birmingham, AL, and is joining others teams from Missouri, Oregon and California and will deploy into the affected areas.
"We are prepared to help the residents of the Gulf States with their medical needs and we have some of the finest emergency medical personnel in Georgia responding to this disaster," said Georgia-3 Team Commander Judith Edwards. "The members of the team are experienced in these situations and are ready to mobilize when the call comes."
The Georgia DMAT was first deployed to a natural disaster when they responded to Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The team has also responded to some of the country's largest disasters since then including Hurricanes Marilyn, Opal and Floyd. They also responded to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001. 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 primarily based at Fort Gillem in Georgia. 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: Saturday, 18-Sep-2004 12:40:36