30 members of the New York State Incident Management Team (IMT) have been deployed to Asheville, North Carolina to provide operational support for recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. The team is made up of skilled emergency response professionals who will assist local first responders. They will set-up a stand-alone operations tent to conduct tasks that include search and rescue, structural inspections and communications and emergency response activities. Team members are expected to begin arriving today followed by equipment and additional personnel on Tuesday.
“New Yorkers lead by example and help our neighbors in times of despair,” Governor Hochul said. “Our expert team and the equipment they will bring with them will help save lives and assess damage from Hurricane Helene. I thank these brave New Yorkers for answering the call and look forward to their safe return.”
The New York State Incident Management Team has supported many local emergencies as well as those in other states including the aftermath of tornadoes in Kentucky in 2021 and Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2019.
On Sunday, Governor Hochul deployed 17 soldiers from the Army National Guard and three heavy lift helicopters to support the North Carolina National Guard and four 100 KW generators to Macon, Georgia to support recovery efforts.
Last Wednesday, she sent a team of 16 swift water rescue personnel, two canines and emergency response equipment to North Carolina. That team is currently assigned to assist the Yancey County Emergency Management Office.
The New York State Incident Management Team (IMT) is a multi-agency/multi-jurisdictional team that can be deployed or activated when needed to manage an incident or event safely, effectively, and efficiently, regardless of the cause, size, or complexity. The team is made available to State agencies and governmental authorities by request to the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. They are deployed as a team of trained personnel, representing multiple disciplines who manage major complex incidents requiring a significant number of local, state or tribal resources. The requesting jurisdiction retains all local control, authority, and responsibility throughout the duration of the incident while the IMT provides incident management assistance on their behalf. They are deployed as a team of trained personnel, representing multiple disciplines who manage major and/or complex incidents requiring a significant number of local, state or tribal resources.
The assistance deployed is part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), the nation’s all-hazards national mutual aid system. EMAC has been ratified by U.S. Congress (PL 104-321) and is law in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands. EMAC’s Members can share resources from all disciplines, protect personnel who deploy and be reimbursed for mission-related costs.
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