FEMA to deploy personnel to support East Palestine operations

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and FEMA Regional Administrator Thomas C. Sivak issued a joint statement on Friday announcing that FEMA will deploy personnel to support operations in East Palestine.

The statement said that FEMA will deploy a Senior Response Official and a Regional Incident Management Assistance Team “to support ongoing operations, including incident coordination and ongoing assessments of potential long-term recovery needs.”

In addition to FEMA and Ohio being in contact, the state and national EPAs have been working together on the crisis, the statement said.

The full text of the statement is available below:

“FEMA and the State of Ohio have been in constant contact regarding emergency operations in East Palestine. U.S. EPA and Ohio EPA have been working together since day one. Tomorrow, FEMA will supplement federal efforts by deploying a Senior Response Official along with a Regional Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) to support ongoing operations, including incident coordination and ongoing assessments of potential long-term recovery needs.”

This statement comes on the same days as DeWine announced the Ohio Department of Health would create a medical clinic in East Palestine with professionals from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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