New Mexico Disaster Medical Assistance Team Deployed To Gulf States For Hurricane Katrina
Release Date: August 30, 2005
Release Number: R6-05-086
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A team of medical specialists from New Mexico has been deployed to the Gulf Coast states to assist in the response effort to Hurricane Katrina. Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed the New Mexico-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) to be ready to assist communities in the area with emergency medical needs following Hurricane Katrina.
“FEMA is coordinating the mobilization of all available federal resources to help residents who may be in the path of this dangerous storm. The DMAT teams play a critical role in the medical response to a disaster by assisting communities whose local resources may be overwhelmed,” said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
The New Mexico-1 DMAT, based in Albuquerque, joins similar teams from Washington, Masschusetts, Ohio, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Florida. The teams will deploy as needed into affected areas after Hurricane Katrina moves through the region.
The New Mexico-1 DMAT Team has been deployed to previous hurricanes including Hurricane Frances in 2004 and Hurricane Lili in 2002. 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 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 responded to large-scale disasters including the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. NDMS Teams were also deployed in 2004 to support the G8 Summit in Georgia, the National Democratic Convention in Boston and the Republican National Convention in New York.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 06-Sep-2005 09:59:59