Biden-Harris Administration Deploys Additional National Disaster Medical System Responders and Resources to Hawaii
Emergency personnel will augment state and local mortuary response efforts
This week, the Biden-Harris Administration, through the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), deployed 25 additional experts from the National Disaster Medical System’s (NDMS) Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) and a Victim Identification Center (VIC) Team to Hawaii to augment state and local mortuary resources in the wildfire response. The personnel from ASPR's mortuary and victim identification teams bring the total number of deployed emergency response experts to 75.
“In coordination with local and state officials, the Biden-Harris Administration continues to deploy highly trained personnel to support victim recovery and identification services on the ground in Maui,” said Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell. “President Biden and ASPR are committed to doing all we can to assist the people of Hawaii and bring closure to those who lost loved ones in the fire.”
DMORTs are composed of experts from various disciplines who can assist local authorities in managing the deceased's remains. The teams can include medical examiners, coroners, funeral directors/mortuary officers, forensic specialists, autopsy assistants, fingerprint specialists, logistics specialists, and security and safety specialists.
This week, ASPR also deployed a Disaster Portable Morgue Unit (DPMU), which consists of approximately 22.5 tons of supplies and equipment needed for victim identification and processing human remains, such as mortuary examination tables, x-ray units, and laboratory equipment.
DMORT personnel and the morgue units will support Maui County by assisting with victim identification and respectfully processing human remains. VIC personnel will support the family assistance site at the Maui Community Center.
The NDMS personnel currently deployed to support the wildfire response come from around the country, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington State.
Last week, the agency deployed an initial team of responders to support emergency response efforts in Hawaii, including a mortuary assessment team, regional emergency coordinators, incident managers, logistics, and other emergency response personnel.
Additionally, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has declared a Public Health Emergency (PHE) for Hawaii to address the health impacts of the wildfires. The declaration gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting the emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
ASPR stands ready to deploy additional personnel as needed. Additional information about NDMS can be found at aspr.hhs.gov/ndms.
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