Hurricane Georges DMAT OH-5 Response

Hurricane Georges, packing winds of 140 miles per hour, hit the caribbean islands on the evening of Sunday Sept. 20, 1998.  Although predicted to maintain its power, it suddenly dropped  to 110 miles an hour wind force. On Monday the storm hit the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico at its lower level. On Thursday the storm hit the Florida Keys and by Monday had dropped on Mobile Alabama.

Saturday morning DMAT OH-5 communications officer Steve, was activated and flown to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands to join up with the NDMS Early Response Team.

NDMS activated DMAT KY-1 on Tuesday morning at 8 AM, loading them on to a C-141 military transport plane.  With the team are four DMAT OH-5 members, Josie, Brian, Jim, and Penny.  Their nursing skills were needed by the KY-1 team and they were asked by KY-1 to deploy as part of their team.


Typical of the damage on the east side of Key West.

9/21 17:15
NDMS has called for three additional members, Bill D, Dan, and Karen, to be part of an NDMS Management Supply Unit (MSU).  They were tasked to fly out to Washington DC Tuesday morning the 22nd and then to St. Cruix, Virgin Islands.

9/22 10:00 Plans for the MSU component members to departure have been put on hold till at least this afternoon as plans are being reformulated at the NDMS Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

9/22 10:30
Latest word from a source at NDMS is that other DMAT teams scheduled to fly out to Puerto Rico are being held back as landing conditions are poor at this time.  Also no more teams are being set to deploy to the virgin islands.

9/22 17:00
Have received word from NDMS that no DMAT teams nor the PHS-1 team has been air lifted. We had thought that KY-1 had left around 9 AM but can not confirm.  We have not heard from any of the OH-5 members that were going with KY-1.


More damage along the house boat row.





9/22 19:00
We have received word from KY-1 that they did not leave.  Team members waited all day through several delays only to be told around 5 PM that all was on hold.  Team member gear was unload from the C-141 but team logistics gear will remain stored on the aircraft for several days pending any major damage in Florida from hurricane George. Team members were asked to be on call for the next few days with a 4 hour call up notice should they be called. Although disappointed that they could not go and help, they were glad that their services were not needed due to light damage.

9/23 16:00
The word has come that KY-1 has been activate again is scheduled to head for Puerto Rico.  Additionally, Bill from our OH-5 Team has been activated as an MSU communications officer and is expected to join up with the KY-1 flight to PR.


 Loaded and waiting for days, the C-141 sat waiting for orders to transport.

9/23 19:00
The KY-1 flight to Puerto Rico has been scrubbed just as they were about to load personnel aboard.

9/23 23:50
Bill for OH-5 has been given new directions to fly out tomorrow to Jacksonville, FL via a commercial flight.

9/24 14:30
Bill arrived in Jacksonville to join Management Supply Unit (MSU).  Some 35 other MSU personnel have also arrived.  Sid has also arrived from St. Thomas and Puerto Rico region.  Steve (Sid) reports that they road out the hurricane in St. Thomas and that the destruction there is light.  However, he reports that they saw a lot of damage in Puerto Rico as they came through to fly out.

9/25 1000
Received word that KY-1 will be activated and transported to Jacksonville Naval Air Station by C-141.  Target for the deployment will be the Florida Keys.   A small MSU team is formed for deployment to the keys with KY-1.


Aboard the C-141, KY-1 and OH-5 are elated at finally being able to get of the ground.

9/25  1600
Bill and Sid go to Naval Air Station to retrieve communications gear from NDMS cargo and meet with KY-1 team.

9/25 0700
KY-1 and MSU staff are informed they will convoy out of Jacksonville around 11 PM and prepare  equipment and staff to leave.

9/25 1100
KY-1 and MSU personnel leave the Naval Air Station but are soon turned back with reports of road closures on I-95.  KY-1 team and the MSU are given quarters to sleep, but are told they will make another attempt to leave at 4 AM sharp.

9/26 0400
KY-1 and MSU personnel depart for the Keys with 10 mini-vans and a Haul truck.

9/26 1300 the combined Keys deployment arrive at Homestead Air Force Base.  This is the location of the Florida Emergency Operations Center.  It is decided the truck with the KY-1 supplies will be left behind as it is believed supplies can be obtained in the Keys and that housing has been secured in Key West.  The team continues on with police escort.

9/26 1830
The caravan arrives at Marathon Florida in the mid-keys area.  Again, much time is spent in getting logistics straight at the county EOC.  The team again gets on the road about 2000.


Key West Health System Hospital.

9/26 2200
The KY-1 / MSU group arrives at the Key West Health Systems hospital in Key West.  Tasks are assigned as well as quarters and the team settles in around 2300.  Some have been assigned night duty while others go to the Hamilton Hotel to sleep.  It seems that most of the hospital staff had left when the manditory evacuation order had been given.  Word has it that the hospital stayed open only when it appeared that 20,000 or so island residents had stayed behind.  The hospital is thus very under staffed.

9/27 1000
Word has it that Brian has been assigned to the hospital ER and Josie to the county detention center.  Bill works with the MSU. The detention center has been used to hold some 160 nursing home residents. Conditions there prove to be deplorable with little staff and supplies when we arrived.  Wash cloths were being quartered in order to have enough.  Clean linen was gone.

9/27 2100
Food sources that have been contacted did not shown up at 5 PM as expected.  Box lunches had been ordered so that they could be distributed out to the various care sites.  When the food did arrive, it was food in a pan and there was no way to distribute it.  Many have eaten in the hospital cafeteria or at one of the few restaurants that has reopened.  The hospital food is simple but tasty.  The only restaurant is a Chinese place.  The shop is small and packed, but the food is good.  There is still a water advisory as the water suppy is contaminated.  Much of the island is without electricity.

We also received word that Bill our team commander has also been deployed as an MSU Member to Maxwell ASFB.


Lines formed for bagged ice as electricity was off in most of the island.

9/28 0800
The repeater we put into service is working well, but it seems to have  a fairly limitted range with the hand-held units we were using.  It would have been real nice to have had several mag-mount antennas for the hand-helds.  The system works well between the detention center and the hospital where the MSU was stationed.  Today we are also going to provide communications to the convelecence home next door to the hospital as patients are expected to start moving back.

9/28 1000
ER at the hospital is packed with many problems from cuts to kidney stones.  Hospital staff has started to arrive back on the island which is starting to take some of the load off the DMAT team.

9/29 1100
We have received word that our mission will end tonight at midnight.  MSU is trying to work on transportation details.  We expect to fly out tomorrow.  Field evaluation teams have been formed to help the county public health folk do door to door checks.  Three vans of DMAT members have been assigned such duty for this afternoon.

9/29 1300
More hospital staff has arrived and it appears that the hospital no longer will need the help of the DMAT team.  Most of the local nursing home residents have been returned to the convalescent home next door.  Around 40 remain in the detention center who belong in a convalescent home in Marathon, about 50 miles north.  Administrative supplies and communication systems are broken down and packed. Some DMAT and MSU members do some sight seeing.


The view from the Hamilton Hotel where the team stayed, was not all bad!

9/29 1700
Hospital staff came into the MSU disturbed by requests from the convalescent home director.  It seems they want to move the remaining 40 residents into the hospital.  The hospital does not have staff to cover such a request.  State ESF-8 folk are working these issues out.  It seems there is still no power at the home in Marathon, so they did not want to send the nursing home residents back up.  We start working on a contingency plan for the night to help the hospital with the extra load if it should come.

9/29 1900
The remaining 40 residents of the Marathon convalescent home have been given the go-ahead to return to the facility.  We are all relieved and close up the MSU.  DMAT members and MSU staff relax this evening at the hotel.  Some eat, some decide to swim and other swim without making the decision to do so.  A festive mood pervades the group as they contemplate a job well done.

9/29 2100
Sandwiches, chips and salsa arrive from the Hard Rock Cafe as a thank you  to the group for their assistance on the island.

9/30
We start flying all of our group out of the Key West airport.  All have left by 4 PM.
 

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Updated 10/3/1998