By The Star Staff
More than 45,000 residents of Fajardo, Vieques and Maricao will benefit from repairs that will take place at their municipal offices for emergency management (OMME by its initials in Spanish), thanks to an obligation of over $1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“Emergency management offices are vital to save lives and property in emergency and disaster scenarios,” said Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator José G. Baquero. “As a Joint Recovery Office for the agency, we are aware that responders must have optimal facilities to deploy support and resources during times of urgency and we are committed to repairing them.”
In Fajardo, the OMME is now in the final construction phase after an allocation of over $644,000. The office has a team of 27 employees, volunteers, paramedics and rescuers.
Like other OMMEs, their intervention during emergencies includes rescuing and transporting people to shelters, and collaborating with the Municipal Public Works Department in the removal of vegetative material and garbage collection. In addition, they carry out mitigation work such as cleaning up channels and streams. During the year they also offer other services to the community such as training and orientation talks on hurricane season preparedness.
Some of the repairs at th Fajardo OMME include waterproofing the roof and replacing the emergency exit doors, acoustic ceiling tiles, a concrete retaining wall, the metal fence and air conditioners. Some of the office contents, such as projectors, cabinets and desks, will also be replaced.
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