| Home | Information Sharing & Analysis | Prevention & Protection | Preparedness & Response | Research | Commerce & Trade | Travel Security & Procedures | Immigration |
| About the Department | Open for Business | Press Room |
The threat level in the airline sector is High or Orange. Read more.
Release Date: 08/13/04 00:00:00
FEMA Public Affairs
Contact: 202-646-4600
August 13, 2004
With Hurricane Charley's 145 mile-per-hour winds impacting the Florida coast, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has pre-positioned personnel and supplies for rapid response to areas that will need emergency assistance from this Category 4 strength storm.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is coordinating activities along with other federal departments and respective state agencies. FEMA met its goal to have necessary emergency response teams and disaster relief supplies positioned throughout the southeast region earlier today in preparation for the anticipated response operations. More equipment and resources are being deployed from stockpiles nationwide.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and FEMA Director Michael Brown are maximizing readiness and response efforts for Hurricane Charley and have been in contact with Florida Governor Jeb Bush and other governors in southeast states that could be impacted by this dangerous storm.
FEMA's Mobile Emergency Response Services’ communication units from as far away as FEMA’s Denver, CO, regional office were mobilized to be in place prior to Hurricane Charley's landfall. These units are able to provide telephone, radio and video links in support of response and recovery efforts.
FEMA has activated and deployed Medical Management Support Teams such as MASH-type Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and Veterinary Medical Teams and has mobilized and pre-positioned first-responder urban search and rescue teams for possible service. Disaster medical teams have also brought extra supplies to ensure that the region's large elderly population’s needs are met.
Twenty semi-trailers containing cots and blankets, emergency meals, portable toilets, personal wash kits, sleeping bags, 6-8 person tents, plastic sheeting and roofing, bottled water and mid-range generators are being staged in Georgia for rapid deployment to Florida. FEMA has also deployed large sea containers with building materials for immediate home repairs.
The U.S. Coast Guard pre-positioned helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft as well as relocated several cutters and boats in safe harbors throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic coast and inland waterways to await the passing of the storm. The Coast Guard's C-130 long-range aircraft continues to fly Hurricane Charley’s projected path warning ships of the storm's destructive winds. Rescue and assistance by the Coast Guard and other agencies may be severely degraded or unavailable during and following a devastating storm. If suspended, rescue services will be resumed as soon as possible after the passing of the storm.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at FEMA's request, has coordinated the deployment of ten truckloads of water and seven truckloads of ice to the Tampa area and has deployed sandbag teams and portable flood control levees to central and northern Florida.
FEMA is working with Florida’s Office of Emergency Management to identify utility companies outside the affected area to provide mutual aid to Florida power companies in their efforts to restore power. Florida officials caution that the storm's hurricane-force winds which could cover much of the northern part of the state will likely cause massive power infrastructure damage and outages that could take weeks to repair.
In addition, the Department's Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection unit assessed the vulnerabilities and potential impact to critical infrastructure located in the storm's projected path. Based upon these assessments, Homeland Security will be prepared to work with private sector partners and state and local government officials during the recovery phase.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is supporting FEMA's response effort with four military bases being used for mobilization and staging sites for response teams and supplies. DoD is also analyzing national aircraft assets from military and civilian agencies if additional aircraft are needed to transport response and recovery supplies.
The Transportation Security Administration dedicated additional federal screeners at several Florida airports to expedite passenger screening and help as many travelers as possible meet departing flights before airports were forced to close due to extreme weather conditions.
FEMA has coordinated with the American Red Cross to open 195 shelters in Florida and three in Georgia. The Red Cross is standing by with mobile kitchens and other response vehicles.
Aircraft from Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement will fly over the storm's path Saturday to collect images for damage assessment. The remotely sensed data will allow FEMA to better target areas needing immediate disaster assessment. Information developed during the flight will be delivered directly to the Florida State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. A similar mission was performed in North Carolina directly after the passage of Hurricane Isabel last year.
FEMA is also coordinating with the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and states northward that will be affected by Hurricane Charley's heavy rainfall.
The Department of Homeland Security continues to ask individuals to secure residences, develop a family emergency plan and have their emergency kit stocked with food, water and a battery-powered radio with extra batteries. Information about emergency preparedness can be found at www.ready.gov.
###
This page was last modified on 08/13/04 00:00:00