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In the wake of one of the worst storms to ever hit the northeastern seaboard, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Rapid Response Teams have been doing their part to assist in Hurricane Sandy's aftermath.
As part of the massive recovery efforts, 40 members from the HSI Atlanta and HSI Tampa's Rapid Response Teams deployed to HSI Newark, where they responded to a local call for assistance to check on a pregnant, Hoboken, N.J., woman.
"Our team members are ready to go at a moment's notice," said Special Agent Shawn Meehan, program manager for ICE's Rapid Response Teams. "The teams not only provide disaster relief services to ICE employees and protect ICE facilities, they also assist with general law enforcement and respond to emergency calls like this one."
In addition to being ready to respond to local emergency calls, the Tampa, Atlanta, Newark, New York and Boston teams have been making sure that missing ICE employees are secure and accounted for. The Atlanta team was also responsible for ensuring perimeter security of its local HSI office building.
Members of these teams know there is still much work left to do; and nearly 105 members from the Boston, New York and Newark, Atlanta and Tampa teams are fully ready to deploy in and around their respective areas – helping with any and all recovery efforts.
ICE currently has 15 Rapid Response Teams; all of which are operational 24/7 and prepared to deploy to an affected area within 12 to 24 hours. The teams all share the same mission – to rapidly deploy during natural and manmade disasters, as well as emergency situations, when other federal, state or local government agencies request ICE assistance. Their training includes a weeklong program where they receive instruction on disaster response and deploy to the field as they would for a real disaster response scenario. Throughout the training, members are exposed to a variety of adverse conditions that are designed to promote team building and reinforce the need for the team to function as a cohesive unit.
"I'm glad we were able to respond in a fast and efficient manner," said Meehan. "That's what we train for. That's what our end goal always is."
As Hurricane Isaac's fury swept the Gulf Coast states, many Slidell, La., residents found themselves trapped in their flooded homes without any electrical power or cell phone service.
With flood waters reaching as high as 48 inches in some areas, the city's ambulances, fire engines and police cars were unable to navigate the flooded streets to reach these helpless residents.
That's when the St. Tammany Parish Emergency Operations Center turned to the Rapid Response Team from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans.
"The sheer volume of medical assistance calls and calls involving high-water evacuations throughout the city and parish were mounting," said William Black, HSI New Orleans supervisory special agent and Rapid Response Team mission coordinator. "The only way to reach many of the residences was with a high-water vehicle."
HSI New Orleans routinely works with both the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office and the Louisiana State Police, so both agencies knew that HSI New Orleans' Rapid Response Team was their solution. One of 15 ICE Rapid Response Teams, their primary mission is to rapidly deploy during natural and manmade disasters, as well as emergency situations, when other federal, local or state agencies request ICE assistance.
HSI New Orleans is equipped with a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle that its Special Response Team and Rapid Response Team can deploy during emergencies. Weighing in at 30,000 pounds and standing approximately nine feet tall, this heavy-duty vehicle is well suited for emergency high-water rescue operations.
Within minutes of receiving the request, the team jumped into action. Forging through the water-logged streets of Eden Isles, which is located on Lake Pontchartrain's north shore and is an area of town prone to flooding, they rescued 12 individuals who could not evacuate their homes. After approximately five hours of combating the rainfall and storm surge, the flood waters rose above a safe operating level, and the team was forced to call off the day's rescue operations.
The next day, the parish called on the team to rescue two additional stranded individuals.
"The team members are professional special agents who volunteer to be a part of the Rapid Response Team," said Black. "When it's time to act, we act without hesitation."
ICE's Rapid Response Teams are operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are always prepared to deploy to an affected area within 12 to 24 hours.
