Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) today announced that Oklahoma is sending numerous resources to coastal states to assist with the response to Hurricane Florence.
News presented by First United Bank.
Two five-person Emergency Operations Center (EOC) teams are deploying to North Carolina to support local EOCs in affected areas. The teams include personnel from OEM, Choctaw Nation, Craig County Emergency Management, Grady County Emergency Management, Lincoln County Emergency Management, Pittsburg County Emergency Management, and Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency.
A two-person team from the Oklahoma State Department of Health is deploying to the North Carolina state EOC to assist with coordinating out-of-state resources. An additional OEM staff member is currently deployed to Virginia to provide logistics and resource management support.
The teams are deploying in response to Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) requests from North Carolina Emergency Management and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
EMAC is a national mutual aid system that allows states to send personnel, equipment and commodities to help disaster relief efforts in other states. The state-to-state system was developed after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and was established in 1996. In recent years, Oklahoma has sent state, local and tribal personnel to support EMAC requests in Florida, Hawaii, New York, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
OEM continues to monitor additional requests from the affected area. Further support may be deployed if needed.