A Nationwide effort is underway to provide assistance to the strickened areas. Police, fire and rescue personnel are enroute from all over the country. In Florida, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is coordinating the response efforts. Resources are being sent in for initial 10 day rotations with additional units being set to relieve those personnel.

From the fire services side, the Florida Fire Chiefs Association is handling the logisitics of providing assistance. Four USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) teams are in the area, arriving last night. Additional strike teams are being sent and scheduled for extended periods of time, as long as needed. Reportedly, many communities have no equipment left to provide service, so equipment, as well as personnel resources are being mustered.

Large groups of equipment and personnel have been staged in the Panhandle area waiting for the weather to allow them to enter.

The main problem right now is accessing the major heavily damaged areas. Military assistance will be available (last year fire equipment was shipped into some affected areas via military landing craft).

Trying to access the area and provide assistance as a private citizen will only add to the crisis. The people being sent into the affected areas are professionals with the equipment and training they need to do the job. One of the biggest problems generally faced in the immediate aftermath is dealing with well-meaning people who clog the system by trying to be helpful. If you want to help, donate cash to the many groups who are equipped to handle such issues (Red Cross, Salvation Army, Church groups,e tc.).

If I get additional information on the resources being sent from Florida, I will post.

Michael