AMR Disaster Response Team Recent Disaster Responses
2008 Hurricane Gustav & Hurricane Ike
The 2008 hurricane season was one for the record books. On September 1, 2008, the eye of Hurricane Gustav made landfall in south Louisiana prompting the largest evacuation in that state’s history - 2 million people. The size of this storm prompted FEMA to activate the AMR national disaster contract in three (3) separate states simultaneously; Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. This was unprecedented. While still recovering from Gustav, Hurricane Ike made landfall in Texas on September 12, 2008. At one point the diameter of Ike’s forceful winds made it the most massive Atlantic hurricane recorded. FEMA called upon AMR once again. The government then requested the maximum EMS resources for the Atlantic and Gulf states (zones 1 and 2), be deployed for Hurricanes Gustav and Ike simultaneously. AMR and its network providers responded accordingly. AMR established forward command operations in each state (Jackson MS, Alexandria LA, San Antonio TX, Houston TX and Galveston TX). The EMS deployment to these back-to-back disasters established a new benchmark in EMS disaster response. Never before have so many ground ambulances, air ambulances, and para-transit vehicles been deployed to assist disaster victims. Ambulances responded from 35 states to Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Approximately 50% of the ground ambulances were supplied by AMR's subcontracted network providers. 150 different ambulance companies responded. To complicate matters, in between Gustav and Ike came Hurricane Hanna which threatened the Atlantic Coast and made landfall on the South Carolina / North Carolina boarder. AMR released all deployed ambulances from states affected by Hanna so they could return home and backfilled with additional ambulances from non-vulnerable states. These contiguous disaster deployments are by far the largest mobilization of EMS disaster resources in U.S. history. USDHHS Lt. Commander Bruce Dell characterized AMR’s performance as follows: “Deploying roughly 600 ambulances across three Gulf States is grossly equivalent to a U.S. Army Armored Division deployed across an area more than twice the size of Iraq… It has been a pleasure working in the environment of professionalism and excellence which defines AMR.”
FAST FACTS -- 2008 HURRICANE SEASON – EMS DISASTER RESPONSE
HURRICANE GUSTAV
- Deployed August 28 – September 12, 2008 (16 days)
- FEMA contracted EMS in three states simultaneously: MS, LA & TX
- 600 ground ambulances
- 27 air ambulances (fixed and rotary wing)
- Para-transit vehicles (to provide 3,900 passenger seats)
HURRICANE IKE
- Deployed September 9 – October 4, 2008 (25 days)
- FEMA contracted EMS in two states simultaneously: TX and LA
- 533 ground ambulances
- 25 air ambulances (fixed and rotary wing)
- Para-transit vehicles (to provide 3,000 passenger seats)
HURRICANES GUSTAV AND IKE COMBINED TOTALS
- Deployed August 28 – October 4, 2008 (38 total combined days, 4 overlapping days)
- FEMA contracted EMS in three states: MS, LA and TX
2007 Hurricane Dean
On August 18, FEMA requested AMR’s assistance in the ninth most powerful Atlantic hurricane in history, Hurricane Dean. AMR coordinated the massive mobilization, deploying approximately 300 ground ambulances, 25 air ambulances and 3,500 para-transit seats, which required vehicles from 30 states.
2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
AMR assisted with the evacuation and provision of emergency medical services during hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. During those disasters AMR provided hundreds of ambulances, paramedics and EMTs and aided in rescue and treatment efforts for thousands of people.