NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
The Defense Logistics Agency Expeditionary team arrived at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, over the weekend to help establish the Incident Staging Base for U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s preparation efforts for Hurricane Dorian– a Category 3 storm. Upon arrival, the DDXX team provided a phenomenal demonstration of swift teamwork and operational integration on the ground with FEMA personnel.
DLA is closely aligned with U.S. Northern Command, as Department of Defense synchronizer, FEMA and the potentially impacted states as Hurricane Dorian approaches. The storm’s center was located about 135 miles southeast of Jacksonville, Florida, Wednesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.
ISB Maxwell is currently operating seven days per week with a total number of 46 personnel (FEMA-22, DLA-24) on ground in support of trailer transfer operations, information technology communications, FEMA commodity visibility, staging area management, security, and property accountability. The 24-person DDXX team, led by Army MAJ. Edward Strzalkowski, commander, deployed to Maxwell AFB to provide support to FEMA’s wide range of services, supplies, and disaster relief efforts with logistics expertise as well as equipment including the mobile command trailer, a yard truck and forklifts. DDXX has received over 600 trucks bearing over 500,000 shelf stable meals to be distributed to communities in Hurricane Dorian’s path. This expeditionary distribution capability gives FEMA significant responsiveness and flexibility to flow critical relief supplies, to include food, water, fuel, and generators, to the impacted areas.