South Florida extends more helping hands to Sandy victims

For hundreds of people in the Northeast still homeless and without power from Superstorm Sandy, Joanne Westpoint was a godsend.

The American Red Cross worker, based in Plantation, was one of 17 South Florida volunteers who spent two weeks delivering more than 1,000 hot meals and helping to shelter storm victims.

"They were extremely grateful," Westpoint said Wednesday, a day after returning from the mission.

This week, a group of fire-rescue and law enforcement workers from five Florida counties, including those in South Florida, set up camp in the New York area. Called the Florida-5 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, it will treat emergency patients in a field hospital ? set up in a soccer field.

"This is like a full-scale MASH set-up," said Mike Jachles, of the Broward Sheriff's Office.

The team is needed to conduct around-the-clock operations because the hospital in that area will be closed for at least two months. Team members are staying in tents with sleeping bags because power in that area is not expected to be restored until Christmas, Jachles said.

The Transportation Security Administration also has dispatched 24 employees from South Florida's airports to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency with relief efforts. Earlier, 10 TSA security officers, including four from South Florida, assisted New York area airports return to service.

Jim Marchand, acting federal security director at Palm Beach International, said 2,200 TSA officers nationwide are on alert to help FEMA. He said TSA personnel first must receive two days of training.

Tim Lewis, the TSA federal security director at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, said local officers are going door-to-door to help people sign up for federal assistance or directing them to federal disaster recovery centers.

The officers are being housed in cramped quarters on an aircraft carrier.

"We have South Florida volunteers deployed in the dead of winter to cold New York City, and they have to work outside most of the time," Lewis said. "They help FEMA reach out to those hardest hit."

Westpoint, of West Park, twice a day delivered food from a Red Cross kitchen in Hampton, N.J., to damaged areas along the Jersey shore, including Atlantic City. In addition to the hot meals, she delivered snacks to local shelters.

Along the way, she saw a lot of "people who were not expecting a disaster of this magnitude." She also was astounded to see a roller coaster in Atlantic City "just sitting in high water."

All the damage and misery made her realize the importance of her mission.

"It's always satisfying to help those in need," she said.

kkaye@tribune.com or 954-572-2085

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/hurricane/storm-center-blog/fl-south-florida-helps-sandy-20121114,0,2438166.story?track=rss

tim lincecum hologram pulitzer prize winners nfl 2012 schedule gmail down ryan oneal file taxes online