Governor Walz Authorizes Emergency Response Team to Assist North Carolina with Hurricane Dorian

Statement

In response to a request for assistance in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, Governor Tim Walz today authorized 15 ambulances and 36 first responders to travel to North Carolina as that state prepares for the intensifying storm.

North Carolina requested several ambulance teams from around the country to help. The request was made through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).

"Minnesotans take pride in helping our neighbors in need. It's my honor to answer North Carolina's call for assistance," said Governor Tim Walz. "My thoughts are with the people of North and South Carolina, Florida, the Bahamas, and other affected communities as they work to mitigate the effects of Hurricane Dorian and keep their communities safe through the storm."

The Metro Region EMS System is leading the effort. The teams begin travelling to North Carolina tomorrow morning and include representatives from the following agencies:

Ringdahl EMS, Fergus Falls
HealthEast
Allina
North Memorial
The 15 ambulances are divided into three teams. Each team consists of:

Five ambulances
Five paramedics
Five emergency medical technicians
a team leader and
a logistics support leader
Each ambulance has a paramedic and an emergency medical technician on board.

North Carolina Emergency Management will direct the teams' mission once they arrive in the state.

About EMAC

EMAC is a mutual aid agreement between all 50 states. A requesting state asks for resources (people, equipment, etc.) based on their needs. Agencies in other states with those resources are able to respond to a request, but there is no obligation to participate. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Homeland Security and Emergency Management division coordinates the state's EMAC requests.

Additional information about EMAC is available at https://www.emacweb.org/ .

Source