Florida State Emergency Response Team And FEMA Continue Joint Response To Hurricane Wilma
Floridians benefit from partnership strengthened through record-setting number of hurricanes
Release Date: October 25, 2005
Release Number: 1609-001
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Wilma
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Benefiting from a partnership built on the lessons of Hurricane Andrew - and strengthened through eight hurricanes in Florida over the course of 14 months - the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) and FEMA officials' joint Wilma Command at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee immediately put response measures into place to support the efforts of local emergency responders following the landfall of Hurricane Wilma.
"Communication is key in the immediate aftermath of a hurricane," said State Coordinating Officer Craig Fugate. "Our joint command enables us to leverage state and federal resources to respond swiftly to the needs of affected Floridians."
With the disaster declaration announced Monday by President Bush, federal disaster assistance for eligible individuals may include grants for renting another place to live if the home is uninhabitable, minor repairs to make the home safe and sanitary, and other immediate needs, as well as low-interest loans for uninsured losses.
"Before Wilma reached Florida's West Coast, we had teams in place close to the projected path so that we could move in as quickly as possible once the storm passed," Federal Coordinating Officer Justin DeMello said. "We've equipped our teams with satellite phones so that as they assess the situation, they can report the needs of the community to the command center and we can immediately help our local partners meet residents' needs."
The President's declaration makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Collier, Lee and Monroe Counties. In addition, federal funding is available to the State and eligible local governments for debris removal and emergency protective measures in the counties of Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Osceola, Palm Beach, Polk, St. Lucie and Sarasota.
More counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated as assessments are completed in the affected areas. SERT and FEMA are working together in support of local emergency responders in a number of ways, including:
- Commodities to Meet Immediate Needs (Water, Ice, Meals) - State commodities have arrived at local staging areas in affected counties, with FEMA supplies following closely behind to backfill and ensure adequate supply to meet immediate needs. State and local officials have set up points of distribution in areas without power - staffed by local, state and FEMA personnel - to provide ice, water and meals to those in need. Check with county or local emergency managers for distribution locations, which are expected to open today.
- DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Teams) and National Disaster Medical System - Four SERT and FEMA teams are providing support in hard-hit Monroe County, with additional teams ready to move into other affected areas, if needed. The Coast Guard and Florida National Guard are assisting in transporting medical personnel into affected counties by helicopter. In addition, approximately 160 personnel from the federal National Disaster Medical System teams are engaged and assisting the state with medical needs.
- USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) - Four USAR task forces are already conducting reconnaissance in the hard-hit areas of Monroe, Glades, and Hendry counties. USAR is led by the Unified Team, comprised of Florida Urban Search & Rescue, FEMA, Florida Fish & Wildlife and Florida Department of Forestry components. Four additional teams stand ready to be deployed in other affected areas, including Southeast Florida, if necessary.
- PDA (Preliminary Damage Assessment) Teams - Preliminary damage assessments are conducted by joint local, state, and federal teams. SERT and FEMA officials are in South Florida to begin assessments for Public Assistance. The joint teams - led by local officials - will begin in the four southernmost counties and work their way north over then next three days. Teams will also begin conducting Individual Assistance assessments in Southeast Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hendry, and Glades counties) as soon as local officials give the go-ahead and direction.
To apply for disaster assistance, those who sustained damages or loss from Hurricane Wilma should log on to www.fema.gov or call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). The TTY number for those with speech or hearing impairment is 1-800-462-7585. Both numbers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Within hours of the storm's passage, Wilma Command activated Community Response Teams comprised of SERT and FEMA responders, tasked with a mission dubbed "AIR" - Assess, Inform, and Report. Teams gathered in hard-hit counties today, where they are fanning out into communities to assess damage, inform hurricane victims of available assistance, and report back to Wilma Command.
Team members are encouraging hurricane victims to register with FEMA and advising people in the affected areas of disaster assistance that may be available to them.
Note to Editors: If you would like to talk with USAR, DMAT or Community Response Team members, please call the News Desk to schedule an interview.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 01-Nov-2005 09:28:28