President Biden has Directed the FEMA Administrator to Remain in Asheville, North Carolina Until the Situation has Stabilized
WASHINGTON – FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is on the ground today in North Carolina and will survey damage alongside Governor Roy Cooper. Criswell will remain on the ground in North Carolina until the situation has stabilized, as directed by President Biden.
Today, there are 10 federal search and rescue teams are on the ground right now and another nine teams are on the way, for a total of more than 900 personnel actively supporting rescue efforts in affected areas.
Health and Medical Task Forces and Disaster Medical Assistance Teams from the National Disaster Medical System continue their assessments in North Carolina for rapid deployment of support as needed. One team has started emergency department decompression at Mission Hospital in Asheville and is treating patients. Another team is moving to Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine to support emergency department decompression mission. 200 federal ambulances have been provided to the state.
To aide with communications, rescue crews are continuing to work in affected areas and utility crews are working to restore cell service and critical infrastructure to restore communications to the impacted areas. Administrator Criswell has directed her team to move fast on standing up communications. FEMA has provided 40 Starlink satellite systems to help with responder communications and additional satellites are being shipped to assist with communications infrastructure restoration. One Starlink will be deployed per county Emergency Operations Center to assist with communications and continuity of government.
For families and people trying to get in touch with loved ones, they are encouraged to call 2-1-1 or visit UnitedWayNC.org to fill out a request form to add them to search and rescue efforts.
Everyone should heed the warning of local officials and people should not travel to western North Carolina to keep the roadways clear.
FEMA has two Incident Management Assessment Teams in North Carolina with additional personnel arriving. These teams coordinate directly with the state to facilitate requests for assistance.
To ensure communities get urgent assistance including meals and water, FEMA has deployed 25 trailer-loads of meals, and 60 trailers-loads of water to the state to support response efforts. A C-17 cargo plane full of food, water and other commodities has arrived at the forward operating base in Ashville with a daily flow of commodities established via air bridge. An additional 18 helicopters are on standby to help deliver additional commodities to affected areas.
There are 29 shelters open with over 1,000 occupants. FEMA Disaster Survivor Teams will be out in the field, focusing on shelters, where they will assist survivors in applying for assistance.
A generator support package is moving from Charlotte-Mecklenberg to Ashville, with another 30 generators enroute to the staging base in Mecklenburg.