Washington– The United States is deploying dozens of disaster relief workers, including urban search and rescue teams, to Caribbean island nations as they deal with the problem. The devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Disaster Assistance Response Team members from Washington and regional centers in Miami and Costa Rica, as well as urban search and rescue crews from Los Angeles County, California, and Fairfax County, Virginia, are on their way to the area, three State Department officials said Wednesday.
They are expected to arrive within the next 24 to 48 hours and join local staff Jamaica, Bahamas and Dominican RepublicThey will be based to provide assistance in neighboring Haiti, according to the officials, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because teams were not yet on the ground.
Hurricane Melissa It left dozens dead and widespread destruction in Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica. The brutal storm He reached land Tuesday in Jamaica as one of The strongest Atlantic hurricanes Registered before he weakened and moved to Cuba.
State Department officials said they expect the U.S. response to the hurricane to be “strong,” “effective,” and “effective.” They dismissed concerns that Dismantling USAIDwhich was mentioned above The relief operations he supervisedwould hinder work.
the US government shutdown This was also not a factor, and people needed for the operation were relieved, officials said The furloughs affected all federal agencies.
It was not immediately clear whether DART team members would be paid immediately for their work, but search and rescue teams are employed by their local areas and their services are covered by existing long-term contracts.
Expected needs include supplies such as hygiene kits, temporary housing, sanitation equipment and food, which will be pulled from warehouses in Miami and from local stockpiles held by relief groups, officials said.
Officials and the Tampa-based U.S. Army Southern Command said the Pentagon could play a role in transporting personnel and supplies to remote areas in affected countries, but a decision on the size of that involvement has not yet been made.
Colonel Manny Ortiz, spokesman for Southern Command, said military support plans for disaster assistance teams are under review.
“As a preparatory measure, we have begun planning for the deployment of a situational assessment team that will be tasked with assessing conditions in hurricane-hit areas and the unique requirements needed for life-saving, urgent humanitarian assistance and timely and effective disaster response,” he said in a statement.
He added: “Future decisions about potential US support will depend on their assessments, but it is still too early to predict what this support will consist of.”
The Trump administration built Military presence in the Caribbean As part of its crackdown on drug trafficking, which includes Fatal strikes on boats Which it accuses of being run by cartels. The Pentagon says so Send an aircraft carrier To join The eight warships, a series of aircraft, and thousands of troops Already in the area.
Navy and Pentagon officials say the hurricane has had no impact on military operations so far.
State Department officials said there were currently no plans to evacuate any of the thousands of US citizens believed to be living on or visiting the affected islands, and they expected most would be able to leave on commercial flights or ships once airports and ports reopen.
Officials said there are approximately 5,000 Americans registered in Jamaica’s Smart Traveler Registration Program and another 3,200 in the Bahamas. But they said they don’t know the exact numbers because the program is voluntary and American citizens are not required to register with the government when they travel abroad.
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Associated Press writer Konstantin Torobin contributed to this report.