The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance last week announced that an 11-member team from Tennessee is being deployed to Baton Rouge, La. to assist survivors of an historic flood event that has caused 13 fatalities and damaged an estimated 40,000 homes.
The Department of Commerce and Insurance is assembling the team consisting of deputy state fire marshals from middle and west Tennessee, who will assist Louisiana emergency officials with incident management, building and fire code enforcement, and the inspection of commercial and residential structures for permitting.
“The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office is always ready to help our neighbors in times of need and tragedy,” Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak said. “We express our heartfelt condolences to Louisiana residents who have suffered losses during this historic flooding. The State Fire Marshal’s Office will do our best to help them recover during the weeks ahead.”
A six-member fire marshals team will deploy on August 21 to Baton Rouge and stay until August 30. A member of the first team will remain in Baton Rouge preparing for the deployment of a second, five-member fire marshals team from Tennessee. The second team will be in Baton Rouge from August 28through September 6.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is working with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) in Louisiana to coordinate the deployment of Tennessee personnel to help with the flooding response and recovery.
