Emergency Assistance

If you have any sort of emergency situation prior to signing in, contact the Southern Command watch officer at 305-437-3716 for assistance. You can contact the personal financial readiness specialist at 305-437-2653 if you have a need for emergency financial assistance while traveling to the command. Should an emergency financial situation arise after normal duty hours, military personnel can contact the American Red Cross at 877-272-7337 for immediate assistance.

You should hand carry your important documents (PCS orders, military identification cards, passports, shot records, school records, household goods inventory, marriage and birth certificates and divorce decree) with you — not packed in your luggage or your household goods. Make sure you have telephone numbers for relatives, your sponsor, Army Community Service and USSOUTHCOM. They will be invaluable in case of an emergency while traveling. for more information contact Mr. Randall at extension 305-437- 2726.

Emergency financial assistance is available to all branches of service through the service military aid societies. Authorized assistance is provided to eligible personnel for emergencies related to housing; basic furniture; appliance repair or replacement; utilities; travel expenses; food; privately owned vehicle fuel, repair and maintenance, replacement, monthly payments and child car; medical and dental; minor home repairs; dependent funeral expenses and clothing. 

Assistance can be requested by contacting the U.S. Army Garrison-Miami personal financial readiness specialist at 305-437-2653.  After duty hours, assistance is provided through the American Red Cross by calling 877-272-7337. Contact can also be made with the service military aid societies listed below:

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society

Duty hours: 703-696-1482

After hours: 703-625-5831

Air Force Aid Society

Duty hours: 703-972-2604

After hours: 571-314-3628

Coast Guard Mutual Assistance

202-493-6621

Army Emergency Relief

Toll Free: 866-878-6378

Automobile Emergencies

The Florida Department of Transportation manages the road rangers who provide incident management response services and limited no-cost highway assistance to motorists to improve highway safety for emergency responders and the motoring public. If you are on the roadway and need assistance, call *347 (telephone: *347) on your mobile phone. You can also call AAA or your motor club. If you do not belong to one of these organizations, now might be a good time to think of signing up. For a nominal fee, most of them provide emergency towing, starting and jumping services.

For emergencies on the Florida Turnpike, dial *FHP (347) if you need immediate assistance. Florida Turnpike Services provides road rangers to patrol the entire mainline turnpike (more than 300 miles) as well as the Sawgrass Expressway. These trucks patrol many areas 24 hours a day, removing hazardous debris, assisting motorists and working with first responders during traffic incidents. The road ranger fleet includes several incident response trucks and a number of tow units so that the turnpike's travel lanes may be as safe and clear as possible at all times.

Free roadside assistance is available on any Miami-Dade Expressway Authority Roadway (dial *347). MDX road rangers circulate throughout all MDX roadways (SR 112, SR 836, SR 874, SR 878 and SR 924) 24/7 to respond to emergency situations and keep the roadways safe of hazardous road debris. If you get a flat tire, run out of gasoline or your vehicle otherwise becomes immobile, please turn on your hazard lights and pull your vehicle over to the road shoulders outside the main traffic lanes, lock your doors and remain in your vehicle until an MDX road ranger marked vehicle arrives to render free roadside assistance.

MDX Traffic Management Center will spot your disabled vehicle on the side of the road from one of our traffic cameras and notify the road rangers, and road rangers are always driving on our expressways searching for broken down vehicles, so your wait will usually be less than 15 minutes. They carry the following tools to help you get back on the road as quickly as possible:

• Cell phones
• Auto fluids
• First aid kits
• Flares
• Five gallons of sand
• One gallon of gas
• Fire extinguisher
• Flashlight
• Flashing arrow board
• Broom and shovel
• Wood blocks
• Air compressor
• Booster cables
• Reflective cones
• Tire repair kit
• Two ton jack