Federal Gulf Coast Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Release Date: 09/24/05 00:00:00

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
September 24, 2005

The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in conjunction with other federal agencies, continues to respond to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

FEMA and federal agencies pre-positioned supplies and commodities in the surrounding affected areas and potential landfall areas of the storm. Residents in the Gulf Coast states should continue to pay close attention to Hurricane Rita and follow the instructions of local officials. The following preliminary actions have been taken:  

FEMA has deployed thousands of personnel to support the response effort.

FEMA Rapid Needs Assessment teams are ready to move into impacted areas post RITA land fall. Ten teams are prepared for over-flights in Louisiana today.

FEMA has pre-positioned in Houston 15 truckloads of ice, 15 truckloads of water and ten truckloads of MRE’s. At Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio there are 43 truck loads of ice, 44 truck loads of water and 19 truck loads of MRE’s and nine truck loads of tarps. The Logistics Center in Ft. Worth will also serve as a critical supply resource to communities in East Texas. In addition, FEMA pre positioned 223 truckloads of water, 124  truckloads of ice, and 97 truck loads of MRE’s at federal facilities in Louisiana.

FEMA National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) have deployed seven Disaster Medical Assistance Teams in Texas. More than 500 NDMS staff are already on the ground in Louisiana.

There are 10 Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces staged in Fort Worth/Dallas, Texas and 7 Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces staged at the Reliant Center in Houston. There are 5 Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces in New Orleans in addition to a 450 person incident response team.

Coast Guard made its first rescue of Hurricane Rita yesterday, rescuing an 8-month pregnant woman and her 4-year old son to safety from their home in Port Fourchon, La.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has positioned 19 airplanes and 36 helicopters to respond to Search and Rescue needs after the hurricane passes. Coast Guard also supported DoD patient evacuation flights from Jefferson County, Texas with C-130 aircraft. Additionally, rotary, fixed-wing aircraft, and support personnel are on standby across the United States.

The Coast Guard Pollution Response Strike Team will begin assessment operations after Hurricane Rita passes. The Coast Guard has established two command posts in Lumberton and Lufkin, Texas to coordinate timely response action for oil spills.

U. S. Northern Command is coordinating the military support effort for Hurricane Rita.

DoD evacuated over 4,000 special needs patients from Beaumont, Tx., Houston Tx., and Lake Charles, La. to other locations in Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, and Oklahoma prior to the storm, providing water, medicine, and medical supplies and attention by medical personnel accompanying the aircraft.

DoD is providing more than 50 helicopters, a P-3 Orion and two C-130s available for damage assessment, search and rescue, movement of critical supplies and medevac as well as for commodity drops and transport of critical communications and infrastructure personnel if needed. The Air Force has five C-17s, six C-130s, three C-5s and two contingency-response groups on three-hour alert. Ellington Field in Houston will serve as a primary helicopter hub.

The USACE in close coordination with FEMA, state, and local officials has aggressively pre-positioned people, equipment and supplies for post-storm response.

More than 300,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen stand ready throughout the 54 states and territories prepared to respond to any crisis. Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama have more than 36,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen positioned to assist and respond.  

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt yesterday declared public health emergencies for Texas and Louisiana in order to quickly provide the department's full complement of emergency response assets and resources to the states, its municipalities, hospitals and others in need of public health assistance for response to Hurricane Rita. The Public Health Service (PHS) established two 250-bed field medical shelters in College Station, Texas. These shelters currently serve 475 medical patients.

The Strategic National Stockpile is on alert and to push packages of medical supplies and materials.

HHS Secretary  Leavitt earlier activated the entire US Public Health Service (USPHS). Commissioned Corps is ready to respond to Hurricane Katrina.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has assembled four teams to deploy after Hurricane Rita passes.

The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has purchased more than 20 million pounds of canned meat, poultry, fruit and vegetables for disaster relief and to restock supplies used during Katrina.

USDA has worked with Texas officials to prepare food stamp waivers in anticipation of potential needs within the state beginning this weekend. Also, USDA is extending streamlined services, put in place for Katrina evacuees, for child nutrition and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, (WIC), programs.

Department of Interior (DOI) Minerals Management Service (MMS) continues to monitor the Gulf of Mexico oil rigs and platforms affected by Hurricane Rita.

National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also are pre-positioning emergency response teams in areas likely to be affected by Hurricane Rita and mobilizing additional teams to respond as needed.

Department of Transportation (DOT) has provided over 650 buses to help respond  to requests from Texas and Louisiana officials to help support evacuation efforts. Six MD-80 aircraft are on standby in Baton Rouge to support airlifts out of Louisiana if needed.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deployed EPA response personnel and contractors to the Regional Response Coordination Center in Austin, Texas. The pre-deployment team is co-located with other federal and state personnel to coordinate planning for Hurricane Rita response priorities.

An EPA Incident Management Team has been staged in Dallas to be ready to immediately deploy to affected areas.

The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality and EPA have been in contact with chemical and refinery industries along the hurricane's path concerning their plans to secure and shut-down their plants.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is monitoring conditions at three nuclear power plants affected by storm force winds and heavy rain. The NRC has sent additional inspectors to the plants to provide around the clock coverage if the need arises.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has established a toll free number number for Federal employees, retirees, annuitants  affected by the storms to call to check in. The number is 1-800-307-8298

For more information on emergency preparedness, please visit Ready.gov or FEMA.gov.

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This page was last modified on 09/24/05 00:00:00