Imagery Available: Coast Guard deploys 3 teams to assess ports, waterways in Florida Keys

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 09/14/2017 12:08 PM EDT

united states coast guard

 

News Release  

U.S. Coast Guard
MIAMI
Office: 305-415-6683
786-367-7649

U.S. Coast Guard 
PUERTO RICO
Office: 787-729-2381
787-510-7923

U.S. Coast Guard
TAMPA BAY
Office: 727-535-1437 Ext. 2142, 2143
305-965-4672

U.S. Coast Guard
JACKSONVILLE
Office: 904-714-7606/7607
305-318-1864

U.S. Coast Guard
ORLANDO
206-819-9154

Press inquiries: D7CGirmamedia@gmail.com
786-224-7996

Coast Guard deploys 3 teams to assess ports, waterways in Florida Keys

Chief Warrant Officer Bridgette Brown, a marine safety specialist – response at Coast Guard Sector New York, gives a brief regarding Hurricane Irma response efforts in Key West, Fla., at the Sector Key West Incident Command Post at the Marriott's Orlando World Center in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 14, 2017. The Coast Guard deployed three teams to assess the damage to ports and waterways in the Florida Keys in effort to reconstitute the area for maritime traffic. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle/Released)    Vince Williams with the Coast Guard Incident Management Assist Team out of Norfolk, Va., discusses operational logistics for Hurricane Irma response efforts in Key West, Fla., during a command and general staff brief at the Sector Key West Incident Command Post at the Marriott's Orlando World Center in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 14, 2017. The Coast Guard deployed three teams to assess the damage to ports and waterways in the Florida Keys in effort to reconstitute the area for maritime traffic. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle/Released)    Chief Warrant Officer Todd Wardwell, incident management and environmental response at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, Philadelphia, takes notes during a brief regarding Hurricane Irma response efforts in Key West, Fla., at the Sector Key West Incident Command Post at the Marriott's Orlando World Center in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 14, 2017. The Coast Guard deployed three teams to assess the damage to ports and waterways in the Florida Keys in effort to reconstitute the area for maritime traffic. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle/Released)

Personnel from various units throughout the Coast Guard listen during a command and general staff brief at the Sector Key West Incident Command Post at the Marriott's Orlando World Center in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 14, 2017. The Coast Guard deployed three teams to assess the damage to ports and waterways in the Florida Keys in effort to reconstitute the area for maritime traffic. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle/Released)    Personnel from various units throughout the Coast Guard listen during a command and general staff brief at the Sector Key West Incident Command Post at the Marriott's Orlando World Center in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 14, 2017. The Coast Guard deployed three teams to assess the damage to ports and waterways in the Florida Keys in effort to reconstitute the area for maritime traffic. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle/Released)

Editors' Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Coast Guard deployed three teams, Thursday, to assess the damage to ports and waterways in the Florida Keys in effort to reopen the area for maritime traffic.

The three deployed teams will be arriving in the areas of Key West, Marathon and Islamorada within the next 24 hours and will be locating and reporting targets for salvage, marine pollution and repairing Rescue 21 communications towers that will restore full search and rescue capabilities.

The teams are deploying from the Sector Key West Incident Command Post in Orlando. The teams are made up of Coast Guard port recovery specialists as well as crewmembers from Sector Key West and the National Strike Force. The deploying members are highly trained and experienced personnel with specialized skills that will prepare for reconstitution of the waterways in the Florida Keys.

“During these assessments, we will work with our federal partners such as NOAA to survey federal aids to navigation, determine if there are any obstructions under the surface of the water, and determine if any shifting of sub-surface sediments could impede safe navigation” said Cmdr. Lexia Littlejohn, deputy incident commander, Sector Key West Incident Command Post. “Coast Guard infrastructure and personnel were displaced from the Florida Keys right alongside our neighbors and community members. We are working diligently to reopen navigational routes and ports so that more support can flow to people recovering from the effects of Hurricane Irma.”

For more breaking news follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

-USCG-

IMPORTANT LINKS

U.S. Coast Guard Hurricane Irma Response News

FEMA Hurricane Irma Resources

Official U.S. Coast Guard Hurricane Irma video and imagery