Page "Hurricane Katrina disaster relief" Paragraph 2

Monetary donations broke records set by the tsunami and 9 / 11 relief efforts in the U. S. In a reversal of usual positions, the U. S. received international aid and assistance from numerous countries.

The National Disaster Medical System had activated essentially all teams in the country, and pre-staged multiple Disaster Medical Assistance Teams ( DMATs ), Disaster Mortuary Assistance Teams ( DMORTs ), and Veterinary Medicine Response Teams ( VMATs ) in Houston and Atlanta the day prior to, and the day of, landfall.

When the levees were reported to have broken, the DMATs were moved to Baton Rouge on Tuesday, August 30, and as the needs were identified, teams were moved out that afternoon to the Super Dome, and that night to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Three DMATs arrived around 0200 hours on Wednesday morning, Aug 31st, and set up a field hospital Base of Operations in Concourse D, and began offloading rescuees from helicopters, and providing all levels of medical care.

Additional DMATs were deployed there as the volume and tempo of patient arrivals increased, as the hospitals in the city began to evacuate their patients.

Over 3, 000 patients were cared for, and as DOD Medevac assets began arriving, patients were handed over and moved out to over a dozen cities.

This operation peaked during the weekend of September 3 and 4th, and was completed by mid-week.

Over 20, 000 evacuees were also flown out by the civilian airfleet drafted into service, and 25 deaths occurred there, mostly elderly nursing home and hospice evacuees.