An elite search-and-rescue team from the city’s police and fire departments will be helping with the earthquake disaster relief mission in Haiti, Mayor Bloomberg announced today.
“President Obama asked for our assistance and we are answering his call to respond to the unimaginably tragic events in Haiti by sending the best — our specially trained joint task force of New York City police officers and firefighters,” Bloomberg said.
New York Task Force One — a unit made up of 80 members — is managed by the city’s Office of Emergency Management and trained to respond to catastrophes involving the collapse of heavy steel and concrete.
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The team is expected to arrive in Haiti tonight, two days after a 7.0-magnitude quake rocked the capital Port-au-Prince that left up to 50,000 dead in its wake.
Bloomberg said the team trained at an earthquake drill two months ago in upstate New York and is well-equipped to help the people of Haiti.
“The world came to our aid on 9/11 and we want to provide assistance around the globe when needed, whether it’s giving supplies, sharing lessons learned, or sending our first responders to help people,” said Bloomberg.
“Our team should be on the ground in Haiti later today and I want to say to all of them, on behalf of all New Yorkers – be safe and thank you for lending a hand to people in dire need.”
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Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the unit has the “desire and expertise to serve at the highest level possible.”
“All of us in the FDNY are shocked and saddened by the devastation in Haiti,” added FDNY Commissioner Sal Cassano. “We’re grateful, however, that many of our members are specially trained to help people under the very worst circumstances and that we’re bringing that help to them today. Just as the world stood beside all of us after the tragic Sept. 11 attacks, we know it’s our duty to help others crippled by disaster, whether it’s a hurricane along the Gulf Coast or an earthquake in Haiti.”
Bloomberg said Task Force One will bring approximately 20 tons of equipment with them before deploying from Stewart Air Force Base in upstate Newburgh.
Meanwhile, Obama said today that “one of the largest relief efforts in our recent history” is moving toward Haiti as he continued to mobilize the US response to the island’s devastating earthquake.
Obama said the US government is initially directing $100 million toward the relief effort — a figure he said would certainly grow over the next few months.
“This is one of those moments that calls out for American leadership,” he said.
An Obama administration official said Obama has reached out to Clinton and George W. Bush, and that details of their efforts will be announced in the coming days.
The death of one American citizen from Tuesday’s quake was confirmed, with three others known to be missing, said State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.
The State Department is not releasing the identity of the dead American, pending notification of next of kin.
Crowley said the US embassy has made contact with nearly 1,000 American citizens in Haiti, only a small fraction of the estimated 45,000 Americans in the country.
The first US Army infantry troops — a little more than 100 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division — are heading to Haiti, due to leave Fort Bragg in North Carolina later Thursday. The troops will find locations to set up tents and other essentials in preparation for the arrival of another roughly 800 personnel from the division on Friday.
They come on top of some 2,200 Marines, also to be sent, as the military ramps up what Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called “a full court press” to provide earthquake relief in the form of security, search and rescue, and the delivery of humanitarian supplies.
Obama said more than a half dozen US military ships also are expected to help, with the largest, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, arriving today, and the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort also deployed.
“We’re not taking over Haiti,” Crowley said. “We are helping to stabilize Haiti, we’re helping to provide them lifesaving support and materiel and we’re going to be there over the long term to help Haiti rebuild. But, the key is: we are maintaining constant contact with the Haitian government even given the difficult situation. What we’re doing is following the priorities that the Haitian government has outlined for us.”
Appearing on morning network news shows after cutting short an overseas trip, Clinton said it’s still too early to make a firm estimate of the number of deaths. But she said officials know that approximately 3 million people have been affected and that “tens of thousands, we fear, are dead.”
Clinton noted that the small Caribbean country was still recovering from the damage wrought by last year’s storms, with help from Washington, the United Nations and other countries.
Obama also implored individual Americans to donate to the relief effort, saying they could get information on how to do so through the White House Website at http://www.whitehouse.gov.
Obama said Americans are being evacuated as quickly as possible. Crowley said 164 Americans have been airlifted out, including 42 non-essential officials and employee family members and 72 private citizens who were taken out on Coast Guard C-130s. Another 50 private citizens left on an Iceland Air flight. There are 360 Americans registered to leave on evacuation flights that will continue today.
“We will not rest until we account for our fellow Americans in harm’s way,” Obama said.
The president also said he has directed Vice President Joe Biden to travel to South Florida this weekend to meet with members of the Haitian-American community and responders.
With AP