Tennessee Sends Ambulance Strike Teams to Florida for Hurricane Michael Relief
Nashville, Tenn. – The State of Tennessee deployed multiple ambulance strike teams to Florida today to support emergency officials readying for life-safety impacts when Hurricane Michael makes landfall.
“This is what Tennesseans do. In times of disaster or crisis, we volunteer to help those in need,” Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam said. “I am proud of these men and women from across the state who have traveled to Florida, heading directly into the storm, to provide life-saving services and relief to those affected by Hurricane Michael.”
The teams include a total of 35 members representing departments from the following Tennessee agencies and counties:
· Sullivan County
· Washington County
· Greene County
· Grainger County
· Knox County
· Blount County
· Jefferson County
· Medical Center Madison County
· Medical Center Benton County
· Medical Center Chester County
· Henderson County
· Bartlett Fire Shelby County
“We are proud of these dedicated, professional Tennesseans who have answered the call for help and are selflessly helping our neighbors in Florida as they face the potential for catastrophic damages from Hurricane Michael,” TEMA Director Patrick Sheehan said. “We are thankful for them and for their families who allow them to volunteer and leverage their skills and experience to aid our neighbors.”
“We appreciate and admire these skilled professionals who put themselves in harm’s way to help others, in this case in Florida. We value their life-saving contributions to those impacted by Hurricane Michael,” said Tennessee Department of Health Chief Medical Officer David Reagan, MD, PhD.
The ambulance strike teams will deploy for 11 days.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is coordinating Tennessee’s Hurricane Michael deployments through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), with organizational support from the Tennessee Association of Fire Chiefs' Mutual Aid System and the Tennessee Department of Health.
Today, Hurricane Michael is located just off the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm with winds in excess of 130 mph. Storm surge and heavy rainfall are expected to pose a significant threat.
About the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency: TEMA’s mission is to coordinate preparedness, response and recovery from man-made, natural and technological hazards in a professional and efficient manner in concert with our stakeholders. Follow TEMA on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and, at www.tn.gov/tema.
About ReadyTN: ReadyTN is a mobile device application from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) providing emergency preparedness, response, and recovery information to Tennesseans. Ready TN is available for mobile devices running Apple and Android operating systems. For more information on ReadyTN’s features and on downloading, visit www.tn.gov/tema/ready-tn.html.
Attachment: Hurricane Michael Press Release