Coast Guard Auxiliary mobilizes to support FEMA
WASHINGTON – Members of a specialized U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary unit, G-OCX/D7 Computer Support Group, have been mobilized to assist in the setup and implementation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s computers and computer support operations in the post-Hurricane Charley recovery process, according to a press release from the group today.
Greg Burrel, a FEMA regional coordinator in the Orlando Field Office, requested assistance from the USCGA.
When Auxiliary advance team members Hal Leahy and Sam DeFazio arrived in Port Charlotte, Fla., they found they had preceded the computer systems. FEMA, utilizing the concept of asset conservation, tasked the advance team to locate land that could accommodate 10,000 mobile homes to be used as temporary shelters for the thousands left homeless.
Members of the team contacted Greg Reith, a Charlotte County surveyor, seeking information that could assist the team in locating potential sites. Luck was on the team’s side, as this particular Surveyors’ office was the local Disaster Recovery Center for the Florida Surveyor and Mapping Society.
To date, a number of sites have been identified by the team. As work continues in the site selection process, other team members have mobilized to assist in the primary mission of the G-OCX/D7 Computer Support Group’s initial tasking, setting-up and implementing the regional disaster computer center for FEMA.
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