U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said its 2,500 officers and other personnel across Florida are working with their counterparts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as state and local government officials, in preparation of Hurricane Dorian.
Diane J. Sabatino, CBP’s Miami and Tampa Field Office director of operations, will oversee the agency’s Region IV Emergency Operation Center, which includes Florida, in addition to Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, during natural disasters and national emergencies.
The agency said its emergency response work is aligned with the Homeland Security Department’s National Response Framework.
During the storm, CBP personnel will work with local, state and federal agency counterparts to support search and rescue operations, recovery assessments, security, and relief efforts.
“Our foremost concern is for the safety of those in harm’s way, and our teams of front-line federal officers and agents are prepared to support response and recovery efforts with unique capabilities and resources,” Sabatino said in a statement Aug. 30.
CBP’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircrews from the Miami Air and Marine Branch, Jacksonville Air and Marine Branch, and National Air Security Operations Center in Jacksonville are highly experienced in response and recovery missions, with years of experience dealing with hurricanes in Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas and the Carolinas, the agency said.
The agency said it will provide updates of its operations during the storm on Instagram and Twitter at @CBP @CBPCaribbean @CBPSoutheast and @CBPFlorida.