United States: The Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, announced the deployment of emergency management and mass care specialists to Florida to support the state’s response to the ongoing crisis. They are working to support communities impacted by Hurricane Ian.
The governor of California mentioned in the statement, “California stands with the people of Florida. Our region is all too familiar with the impact of natural calamities as well as we stand ready to offer any needed aid as well as help to the communities impacted by this horrific storm.”
Governor Newsom directed the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to send an initial five-person team of mass care experts to facilitate shelters for those displaced by the hurricane and emergency operations centre staff to support Florida’s State Operation Center in Tallahassee while responding to a request from the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Along with this, California has indicated to Florida that it will make additional personnel as well as resources available should they be required to support the response or recovery operations from the hurricane.
Lastly, Cal OES approved the deployment of local government firefighters to Florida, United States of America, as a part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Urban Search as well as Rescue (US&R) Response System.
There are California US&R specialists and firefighters from the following local agencies on the ground in Florida actively working to save lives, including Orange County Fire Authority, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Riverside Fire Department, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department, Chula Vista Fire Department, San Diego Fire Department and Sacramento County Fire Department.
Furthermore, Hurricane Ian came ashore as one of the strongest storms ever to strike Florida as well as continues to move across the state with damaging winds, heavy rains and storm surges that left people trapped.
