Federal Support Stands Ready As Hurricane Ike Brushes Florida, Aims For Gulf Coast.
Release Date: September 9, 2008Release Number: HQ-08-192
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is coordinating the preparations of its partners in federal, state, tribal and local governments as Hurricane Ike is now expected to make landfall in Texas later this week. But with the record this year of storms shifting course before they strike the coast, all Gulf Coast residents are reminded to "Get Serious: Be Prepared."
In Florida, state and local resources are meeting the initial needs of communities impacted by the outer bands of the storm which swept over the Florida Keys. President Bush had previously issued a disaster declaration that enables federal aid to supplement and support any of the immediate response efforts.
In Texas, evacuations are scheduled to begin as early as tomorrow and residents are strongly encouraged to heed the direction of state and local officials. Federal assets will support these evacuations to ensure that everyone can get to safety.
Individual and community preparedness is the responsibility of everyone. Individuals, families and businesses should prepare emergency supply kits and develop family emergency plans. Emergency preparedness information for individuals and businesses is available online at www.ready.gov.
Federal agencies maintain multiple teams of key personnel as well as stockpiles of needed supplies and commodities across the country so that a response in one area does not impact on the needs of another. Key staff and commodities are already being pre-staged along the Gulf Coast to ensure a swift response wherever Hurricane Ike eventually strikes the coast.
Snapshot of Federal Activities:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
· FEMA has identified and designated specific staff and assets to ensure their availability for any preparations or response activities. FEMA liaisons are on-site in each of the state Emergency Operation Centers along the Gulf Coast.
· FEMA has deployed Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMATs) in Austin, Tex., Jackson, Miss., Atlanta, Ga. and Tallahassee, Fla. IMAT teams provide essential situational awareness and are the initial federal coordinators on the ground.
· Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Teams are pre-deployed to Houston, Tex., Lafayette, La., Meridian, Miss., Montgomery, Ala., and Jacksonville, Fla. in order to assist in rescue operations in the immediate aftermath of a storm.
· FEMA maintains supplies of commodities and emergency resources placed strategically around the country. Contracts are in place to replenish supplies without shifting resources from other disaster operations.
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
· USCG forces have been deployed to conduct response, recovery and clean up operations, and are working with port and industry partners.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
· TSA deployed personnel, including Federal Air Marshalls, to facilities Texas to assist with planned evacuations.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
· USCIS is contacting community organizations and the media to inform them that USCIS will reschedule all appointments in offices that close. USCIS is advising customers to take all necessary actions to protect their documents and inform them that if they are evacuated, or a USCIS office is closed, they can temporarily make an appointment in another USCIS office.
National Protection and Programs Directorate National Communications System (NCS)
· NCS personnel are actively reaching out to the states on Ike's potential path to confirm access procedures for restoration teams, and are adjusting critical communications infrastructure analysis.
· The Shared Resources High Frequency Radio Network is scheduled to be activated 12 hours prior to landfall and the Disaster Information Reporting System 24 hours prior to landfall.
Infrastructure Protection (IP)
· Eight IP Protective Security Advisors have deployed to Texas to coordinate and support preparedness and response efforts and to beginning to identify critical infrastructures in the storm's projected path, and assessing any potential impacts.
· IP's National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center will begin pre-landfall impact modeling as appropriate.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
· NOAA's National Hurricane Center is issuing watches and warnings as needed.
· NOAA aircraft are conducting flights into Hurricane Ike. A NOAA aircraft is pre-staged to conduct any damage assessment flights needed.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
· DOE remains in close contact with Gulf Coast utilities as they monitor the path of Hurricane Ike and make advance preparations.
· Personnel have been evacuated from 200 production platforms (27.9%) and 15 rigs (12.4%) in the Gulf of Mexico.
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) U.S. National Guard Bureau (NGB)
· NGB units are coordinating efforts to send people and equipment to assist civil authorities and first responders in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
· The Texas and Louisiana National Guard are staging provisions, prepositioning people and equipment, and coordinating with federal, state and local governments.
· The Texas National Guard is prepared for search and rescue missions.
U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)
· USNORTHCOM has deployed units to Corpus Christi and Brownsville, Texas to support medical evacuations.
· USNORTHCOM has identified additional units able to provide a wide range of additional support including helicopter support, medical evacuation, high-water vehicles, mobile communication packages, bridging and engineering support, medical assistance, search and rescue, and Incident Awareness and Assessment airborne platforms that provide after-landfall water level and surge assessments.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
· USACE has over 40 specially trained response teams to support National Response Framework missions. These teams are trained and equipped with field guides, mobile response equipment, and prepositioned contracts.
· USACE stands ready to perform debris removal, commodities procurement and delivery, temporary emergency power, temporary housing, temporary roofing, infrastructure assessment, and support to urban search and rescue missions.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
· Veterans who receive monthly compensation for disabilities, education, pension or other benefits will continue to receive regularly scheduled payments. VA is identifying those veterans in the affected areas that receive their checks by mail and has plans to issue convenience checks if mail delivery will be interrupted for an extended period of time.
U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury)
· Treasury is working with the U.S. Social Security Administration and the U.S. Postal Service to provide early payment delivery for SSA Cycle payments dated Wednesday, September 10th.
· Checks will be delivered early to specified ZIP Codes in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana, including New Orleans (a total of approximately 40,150 checks).
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
· DOT activated is coordinating with the Texas Department of Transportation (T-DOT) in support of evacuation plans.
· DOT's Federal Highway Administration is supporting T-DOT as it conducts safety inspections of buses designated to support any evacuation.
· DOT's Federal Aviation Administration is deploying personnel to airports along the Gulf Coast and placed those facilities on alert in anticipation of any needed evacuations.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
· HHS is supporting state and federal efforts to assess and plan for the evacuation of patients and nursing home residents in the path of the storm.
· Medical and pharmacy caches are in place to support medical needs of impacted communities in states across the Gulf Coast.
· HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing information across the region to educate residents on how to protect health and safety when authorities tell them to evacuate from the path of a hurricane.
· All U.S. Public Health Service commissioned officers are on alert, ready to deploy to states that need assistance in preparing for Hurricane Ike, responding to and recovering from these devastating storms. More than 500 of Public Health Service officers are currently staging or pre-positioned in Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.
· Four Federal Medical Stations (FMS), which provide care for evacuated patients from hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities, remain in place in Louisiana and are prepared to receive patients who have been or will be evacuated from other locations.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
· EPA has staff on-site in the region and EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs has initiated information sharing with its Texas Gulf Coast network and Kickapoo Tribe.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
· SBA is reminding business owners to have an emergency plan in place that includes:
· Make backups of important business, financial and property records, and store that information offsite, in fireproof storage units.
· Eliminate costly power outages, businesses should invest in a backup generate to maintain full operation of critical functions such as refrigeration, lighting, security systems and computers. · Photograph or videotape the inside of your facility to document what inventory, furniture, equipment and other items.
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
· GSA is coordinating Logistics and Resource Support for all federal activities and is providing critical resources to effected areas.
The American Red Cross (ARC)
· ARC continues to move supplies to staging points in the region, including toiletries, clean-up kits, cots, blankets.
· Evacuees are encouraged to call a friend or family member before leaving home to communicate their plan and to ask that contact to register them on "Safe & Well," located at www.RedCross.org, to help keep family updated on their well-being once they have left.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
· Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror. For more information on FEMA activities visit www.FEMA.gov and for more information on personal preparedness see www.Ready.gov.
