Vermont sends final delivery for hurricane relief

FINAL OPERATION SPECIAL DELIVERY CONVOY LEAVES FOR GULFPORT
Second Convoy Unloading in Gulfport
**Private Efforts Must Now Make Own Shipping Arrangements**
Waterbury, Vt. - The third and final Operation Special Delivery convoy of
tractor-trailer trucks packed with donated items from Vermonters departed for Gulfport, Mississippi Monday, September 12.
The final convoy will muster at 6:00pm at the site of a former rest area
at mile marker 24 (I-91, Southbound) in Brattleboro, in preparation for a
7:00pm departure.
Vermont Emergency Management officials continue to coordinate the
deliveries with local officials.
ABOUT OPERATION SPECIAL DELIVERY
Operation Special Delivery is one part of a three-part plan Governor Jim
Douglas launched to assist in the hurricane recovery effort. The
overwhelming and rapid response by thousands of Vermonters created loads
of donated items that overflowed the trucks available for the first convoy
of 35 trucks, which arrived in Gulfport, Mississippi Monday night. A
second convoy of 17 trucks arrived last night.
In total, 65 tractor-trailer trucks jammed with supplies will be
delivered to the affected area. Officials estimate the total mass of
Vermont's contribution to exceed 4 million pounds.
Following departure of the final convoy, the Vermont Emergency
Operations Center will be returning to normal business hours. State
officials say that private organizations and individuals who want to
help now should collect financial resources for donation to the relief
effort. Organizations collecting supplies must be prepared to make their
own arrangements to ship the material to the affected area by working with
a credible relief organization.
OTHER EFFORTS
Vermont Emergency Management personnel, working in close coordination with
the Red Cross and other partner organizations, continue to monitor the
needs of local officials in the Gulf Coast. In addition to Operation
Special Delivery, state officials are also coordinating specialized state
government assets, such as public health officers, special transportation
and hazardous material teams that may be deployed to the affected region.
"Vermont Emergency Management is working through the channels provided in
the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) to identify specific
needs in affected areas and match those needs with state resources," the
Governor said.
The third component of Vermont's response involves the deployment of 115
members of the Vermont National Guard who are now on the scene providing
security and assisting in the relief effort.
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