NDMS Provides Medical Assistance During Charley Recovery 

Release Date: August 28, 2004
Release Number: 1539-065

» More Information on Florida Hurricane Charley and Tropical Storm Bonnie

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Hurricane Charley struck Central Florida on August 13, cutting a devastating 30-mile wide swath, centered from Port Charlotte through to Daytona Beach. Among the many services severely impacted were hospitals and medical care facilities.

When President Bush signed the Federal Declaration for Florida, the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) was one of the first of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) family to be deployed.

NDMS is prepared to provide immediate medical assistance in a disaster. Its teams are made up of doctors, physician assistants, registered nurses, nurse specialists, mental health counselors and other professionals from around the nation. Each participant is licensed, experienced, and trained to work in disaster situations.

The medics are prepared to provide both routine and emergency medical care. They are equipped with medical technologies necessary to provide life-saving care, including electrocardiogram units, heart defibrillators and respirators. The medics remain in close communication with area Emergency Medical Services and hospitals.

Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) began to be established in the affected areas on August 16. NDMS teams set up emergency medical care units at the larger centers. At the height of their activity, teams provided medical assistance at nine DRC's.

As medical services and facilities recover from the hurricane's affects, the need for these immediate medical responders decreases. When hospitals and other health care providers resume normal operations and are again able to handle local and regional needs, NDMS units are deactivated…their purpose and mission completed.

[Photographs of NDMS personnel at work are available for your use at FEMA.GOV. Click on Photo Library (left side of page under "features"); in the first box, "keywords," type "National Disaster Medical System"; and in the third box, "Declaration Number," type in "1539." This will give you access to the images.]

The State Emergency Response Team is a collaboration of Florida's emergency management agencies led by the state coordinating officer. SERT's mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impact. Visit www.floridadisaster.org for the latest information on the hurricane relief effort.

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: Monday, 30-Aug-2004 08:46:14