SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today directed the California Emergency Management Agency and California National Guard to send specialized assistance to the east coast to help in responding to Hurricane Sandy.
On Monday, the California National Guard sent military transport aircraft carrying two helicopters and two highly trained Pararescue teams with their equipment to Charlotte, North Carolina. Aircraft are also being deployed including a Boeing C17, two C130 aircraft and two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters.
A total of 83 personnel will soon be positioned close to the affected areas for quick deployment. These teams are trained in medical aid, search and rescue and other emergency response activities.
On Saturday, ten members of California’s Urban Search & Rescue Incident Support Teams were sent to Virginia and other east coast areas in support of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requests. This team included first responders from Riverside, San Diego, Sacramento City, Sacramento Metro, Los Angeles City and County and Orange County Fire Departments.
The California Emergency Management Agency is also working with the California Utilities Emergency Association to deploy utility crews and equipment as power outages are expected to be widespread.
Requests for assistance from California are coordinated through FEMA and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) – a system that allows states to send personnel, equipment and commodities to help disaster relief efforts in other states.