EL PASO, TX – The El Paso Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) following the Disaster Declaration issued on December 17 by Mayor Oscar Leeser to centralize the community’s response to the migrant crisis.
Both Mayor Leeser and County Judge Ricardo Samaniego held a press conference where it was reported that OEM will take the lead in leadership activity by all stakeholders to begin implementing emergency management plans to protect the health, safety and welfare of migrants and the community.
“It is imperative that our community work collaboratively to address this federal migrant crisis. We must implement an aggressive but humane response to ensure that we are taking care of everyone in our community, as well as those passing through our community,” said Deputy City Manager for Public Safety Mario D’Agostino.
Also, in support of OEM, the City of El Paso has identified several mass shelter facilities that will have between 1,000 and 2,000 beds throughout the community to augment the work of local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
The City Council reported that the locations, once established, will not be made public at this time for the safety of staff and migrants. In addition, it was highlighted through a press release that with the support of Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and Texas Senator Cesar Blanco, city, county, state and federal government officials have set up meetings with representatives of the American Red Cross over the weekend to discuss support services and logistics.
In addition to American Red Cross support, the City and OEM are working to identify additional support to provide essential services such as food, restrooms, showers, toiletries, security and transportation.
Also, the City and OEM continue to send roving teams to the various areas where migrants congregate to provide transportation and/or temporary shelter services. The city has initiated the use of two hotels as emergency shelters to ensure that individuals and families can get off the streets and protect themselves from the cold.
Additionally, the city and OEM staff are providing staff support at three local shelters. The City of El Paso International Airport, which has a capacity of less than 200 people, is providing accommodations for an average of 400 to 600 ticketed passengers scheduled to depart El Paso within a 12-hour period.
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