Governor Schwarzenegger Sends Emergency Personnel to Kansas to Help with Search and Rescue Efforts Following Tornado Disaster

Press Release

Governor Schwarzenegger Sends Emergency Personnel to Kansas to Help with Search and Rescue Efforts Following Tornado Disaster

Governor Schwarzenegger announced today that 11 urban search and rescue personnel from California have been activated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and are headed to Greensburg, Kansas, as part of an Incident Support Team (IST) to help manage search and rescue operations in the wake of Friday's tornado.

"This horrible disaster has torn apart neighborhoods and families," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Here in California, we will do everything we can to lend a hand in relief and recovery efforts. Our thoughts and prayers are with residents of Greensburg and the other Kansas communities that have been affected by this tragedy."

As part of their mission the 11 Californians, coordinated by the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), help oversee logistical support.

Activations of complete 70-member task forces and smaller ISTs from California are not unusual following major emergencies outside California. Previous deployments of entire or "overhead" teams have followed several recent disasters, including hurricanes Katrina and Iniki and the bombings of the World Trade Center in New York and the Murragh Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

The national Urban Search and Rescue program was initiated after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake based on a concept proposed by OES. Each task force is composed of 70 personnel with expertise in search, rescue, medical and technical operations.

Agencies represented on the IST from California include Los Angeles City Fire Department, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, the Orange County Fire Department, the Riverside City Fire Department, the Sacramento City Fire Department and the San Diego City Fire Department.

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