FEMA not taking any chances after Katrina debacle
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director, David Paulison, has contacted six governors along the East Coast assuring them that the federal government stands ready to assist in response to the Tropical Storm Ernesto.
Director Paulison spoke Thursday to Governors Michael Easley of North Carolina, Mark Sanford of South Carolina, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Robert Ehrlich of Maryland, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, and Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware. Director Paulison personally thanked the governors for their hard work in preparing their states, and assured them of FEMA’s support.
“I assured each of the governors that FEMA is sharing information with multiple states and is working with more than 15 federal agencies to coordinate preparedness and response,” Paulison said. “We have been working around the clock to have everything in place.”
FEMA is repositioning truckloads of ice, water, emergency meals and other supplies ahead of Tropical Storm Ernesto as it heads into the Carolinas. Heavy rainfall is expected in those states, and supply trucks are standing by at Fort Bragg, N.C., Atlanta and elsewhere in the Southeast.
East Coast residents should continue to prepare for Ernesto and follow instructions from local and state officials, including the police, firefighters and first responders in their community before, during and after the storm passes.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.