The United States Department of State created a task force on Wednesday (29) to manage the country’s response to Hurricane Melissa, promising a “robust” US response to the major storm, according to senior agency officials.
The task force is a joint effort of the offices of Western Hemisphere Affairs and Population, Immigration and Refugees, officials said.
The department also sent DART (Disaster Response Teams) to the Bahamas, Jamaica e Haitiand those teams are expected to arrive within the next 24 hours, one of the officials said.
It will be a crucial test of the US State Department’s ability to respond effectively to natural disasters.
This management change came after the Trump administration closed USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and transferred disaster response responsibilities to the State Department.
In addition to the State Department’s efforts, the U.S. military is planning to send a “situational assessment team” to Jamaica that will be tasked with analyzing conditions in areas affected by the hurricane, according to a Defense official.
The assessment team will analyze “the specific requirements needed for life-saving operations, urgent humanitarian assistance and disaster response in a timely and effective manner,” the official said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US is in “close contact with the governments of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas as they confront Hurricane Melissa.”
“We have rescue and response teams en route to affected areas, along with essential life-saving supplies. Our prayers are with the people of the Caribbean,” Rubio added.
