Overview
- Governor Gavin Newsom announced the deployment of a Los Angeles County Fire Department USAR unit to support operations in Jamaica.
- The contingent includes 34 personnel, four search-and-rescue dogs, and specialized tools for locating and extricating victims.
- CBS reports the U.S. State Department mobilized the team, which is transporting about 42,000 pounds of equipment and can operate self-sufficiently for roughly two weeks.
- The California team will work alongside Fairfax County, Virginia responders, described as the only U.S. units with combined search-and-rescue and international deployment qualifications.
- Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds and later weakened to Category 2 near Bermuda, as the National Hurricane Center warns of catastrophic flooding and landslides.