New Mexico Disaster Medical Assistance Team Deployed To Florida
Release Date: September 4, 2004
Release Number: HQ-04-155
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Frances
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A team of medical specialists from New Mexico has been deployed to Florida to assist in the response effort to Hurricane Frances. Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deployed the New Mexico Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) to assist heavily impacted communities in Florida with emergency medical needs following Hurricane Frances.
"We have committed all available resources to help the residents of Florida, 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 New Mexico DMAT is staging in Florida with other teams from North Carolina and Florida and will deploy into affected areas soon after Hurricane Frances moves through the state.
"We are prepared to help the residents of Florida with their medical needs and we have some of the finest emergency medical personnel in New Mexico responding to this disaster," said New Mexico Team Commander Steve Trammel. "The members of the team are experienced in these situations and are ready to mobilize when the call comes."
The New Mexico DMAT was the first DMAT unit to deploy to a natural disaster when they responded to Hurricane Hugo in 1989. The team has also responded to some of the country's largest disasters since then including Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000 and 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).
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, 04-Sep-2004 20:30:04