Gustav Strikes: Federal Resources Ready to Respond
Release Date: September 1, 2008
Release Number: HQ-08-178
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As Hurricane Gustav strikes the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, with the impact felt from Texas to Florida, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is working with numerous federal agencies and voluntary organizations to support state and local authorities as they all focus on life-saving and safety related activities. Federal resources to support Search & Rescue and recovery efforts are pre-staged in areas just outside the storm's impact area and are ready to enter the region in the immediate aftermath of the storm to supplement resources already on the ground in the most impacted communities.
President Bush has issued pre-landfall Emergency Disaster Declarations for Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama which enables federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts. Hurricane Gustav remains a strong storm and officials urge residents in the Gulf Coast to monitor the storm's forecast track and take precautions to prepare for potential wind, rain, tornadoes and flooding damages that may result.
Federal officials understand that people will be anxious to return home following the storm, but are asking for everyone to be patient and to wait for the "all clear." Federal actions are aimed at minimizing losses and helping those affected get back on their feet. Recovery will take time, but federal resources will support these efforts in the days, months and years to come.
While the primary focus is on the response to Hurricane Gustav, an interagency team is working with states on the Atlantic coast to prepare for Hurricane Hanna, which could impact along the Southeastern Atlantic coast later in the week. FEMA encourages residents to make personal preparations so that they can meet their basic needs for 72-hours. Information is available at www.Ready.gov on how families and individuals can best prepare before any storm.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- FEMA has the lead in coordinating the response activities of numerous federal agencies. The National Response and Coordination Center, Regional Response and Coordination Centers in Atlanta, Ga., and Denton, Texas, and Joint Field Office in Baton Rouge, La. are operating around the clock, coordinating the federal response to state and local requests for assistance.
DHS/FEMA continued
- FEMA's emergency teams and resources are deployed and configured for coordinated response. FEMA has pre-staged life-saving and life-sustaining commodities such water, meals, and tarps in various strategic locations to be made available to residents of affected areas.
- Urban Search and Rescue task forces and incident support teams have been deployed to the region and are standing by to support search and rescue efforts once the storm has passed.
- FEMA has activated the National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System and National Emergency Child Locator Center to help family members, who may become separated as a result of the storm, find one another. Individuals and families may register on the internet at www.FEMA.gov or call the toll free number at 1-800-588-9822.
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
- USCG's top priority is the protection and safety of life at sea, both for mariners and residents of the Gulf coast, as well as for our Coast Guard members. To meet potential needs, USCG has put additional ships, fixed and rotary wing aircraft, medical teams, disaster assistance response teams and other personnel on call to ensure a rapid response to Gustav and Hannah. USCG forces are ready to respond.
- USCG will conduct port assessment operations post storm activity. Forces will be deployed to conduct response, recovery and clean up operations immediately upon the storm passing. The mission is to open the ports as soon as possible with minimum effect on commerce.
- USCG is working with local, state and federal agencies to coordinate severe weather response operations, including search and rescue support, waterway and facility assessments, restoration of aids to navigation, responding to hazardous materials spills, transport of victims and providing airborne logistics support.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- CBP is providing 35 law enforcement personnel to help protect Urban Search & Rescue efforts.
- CBP's High Endurance Tracker aircraft provided reconnaissance and streaming video to improve situational awareness.
- CBP posted trade alerts regarding the closing of seaports.
The National Communications System (NCS)
- NCS activated the Shared Resources (SHARES) High Frequency Radio Network and is supplemented by FEMA's National Emergency Coordination Network and the Center for Disease Control's National Public Health Radio Network.
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
- DOT successfully managed contraflow between Louisiana and Mississippi via I-55 and I-59.
- DOT's Federal Aviation Administration reports New Orleans Louis Armstrong International remains closed and the following Air Traffic Control Towers are closed: Acadiana; Chennault; Lakefront; Lake Charles; Lafayette; Gulfport; Mobile; and Houma.
- DOT's Maritime Administration is providing safe haven aboard a ship in Beaumont, TX to the Coast Guard, Corps of Engineers and local responders.
- DOT's Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration is monitoring energy platforms in the region and reports that approximately 96 percent of oil production and 82 percent of natural gas production in the Gulf has temporarily ceased.
Department of Defense (DOD)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- USACE has teams in the Gulf Coast and is prepared to assist with: debris removal, commodities procurement and delivery, temporary emergency power, temporary housing, temporary roofing, infrastructure assessment, and support to urban search and rescue missions.
- USACE completed its first installation of a temporary generator in Alexandria, La., for a special needs shelter. The Corps will stand up and lead an interagency joint debris task force in Louisiana and in Texas, if needed.
U.S. National Guard Bureau (NGB)
- NGB has nearly 12,000 people positioned and equipped to support operations in the Gulf Coast region.
- More than 70 National Guard aviation assets are staged in Meridian, Miss., and will deploy for immediate search and rescue missions tomorrow morning U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)
- USNORTHCOM is forward positioning an Operational Command Post for command and control of deployed military forces responding as part of a federal hurricane relief effort to England Airpark, Alexandria, La. The operational command post can quickly receive augmentation and further support hurricane relief efforts in close cooperation and in support of civil authorities.
- DOD is providing a wide range of military aircraft to conduct movement of personnel and supplies, and search-and-rescue efforts in support of disaster operations.
Department of Justice (DOJ)
- DOJ and federal law enforcement agencies continue to monitor the path of Hurricane Gustav and are ready to respond to any law enforcement matters, as needed. The Joint Field Office in Baton Rouge has responded to all requests that have been received.
- Federal law enforcement agencies are operating command posts and have positioned appropriate response teams. Currently, 400 interagency personnel are on alert and another 2,300 remain on standby. These resources consist of uniformed officers with marked vehicles, criminal investigators, and tactical teams from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, Customs and Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, FPC, Drug Enforcement Agency, Office of Personnel Management's Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General, and U.S. Mint Police.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Regional SWAT Teams have been placed on standby status. FBI assets, including investigators, analysts, evidence response teams, hazardous material teams and others are available if requested.
- FBI's field offices in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida have enacted their crisis response plans and will remain staffed with essential personnel. Command posts to monitor the situation have been stood up at FBI Headquarters and in the field offices. Numerous command post vehicles have been pre-staged in critical areas
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- DOE has staff on the ground in the Gulf region, and is monitoring its Emergency Response Center 24-hr a day, where experts are analyzing real-time data on energy infrastructure in the Gulf region.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- HHS declared a public health emergency to ensure that individuals, including those enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama continue to receive their health care items and services. Many of the agency's normal operating procedures will be temporarily relaxed so health care services will continue to be provided to the elderly, people with disabilities and vulnerable children as they leave the areas affected by the hurricane.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will ensure items and services are available to meet the need of Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP beneficiaries.
- CMS will expand the definition of "home" to allow those Medicare beneficiaries who are receiving home health services to receive those services in alternative sites.
- For the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, CMS has been working with prescription drug plans to ensure that rules preventing early refills are waived. This will assist those who left their prescriptions in evacuated homes or lost their prescriptions when they had to leave their homes.
- Beneficiaries in Medicare health plans will be able to go out of network during this emergency. CMS is working with the health insurance industry to ensure there are no barriers to this service for those enrolled in these plans.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- EPA will conduct post-storm reconnaissance of facilities containing oil and hazardous materials and will conduct assessments of any spills caused by Gustav in Mississippi and Alabama.
- EPA exercised its authority under the Clean Air Act to temporarily waive certain federal clean fuel requirements for parts of Texas. The federal waiver will help ensure an adequate supply of gasoline in the affected area during and in the immediate aftermath of the storm. A waiver was previously issued for 16 parishes in Louisiana.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
- The Waterford nuclear power plant shut down on August 31 and remains off line. The staff and NRC inspection team is protected behind the plant's watertight doors. The plant, 20 miles west of New Orleans, will not be able to restart until it has NRC permission and FEMA has given assurances that evacuation routes are clear. That work is expected to begin Tuesday.
- The River Bend plant, 25 miles north-northwest of Baton Rouge, was throttling back to 75 per cent power at the request of the grid operator because of decreased demand.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- NOAA's National Hurricane Center is continuing to monitor the track and intensity of Hurricane Gustav. The center will issue watches and warnings to affected areas as needed.
- NOAA post-landfall functions such as navigation response teams, hazardous materials incident scientific support are being staged and prepared for deployment.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- NASA Earth observing satellites are monitoring the progress of Hurricane Gustav.
- NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Miss. and Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans are closed throughout the duration of the storm, with the exception of ride-out crews who are protecting key facility elements.
U.S. Department of Treasury
- The U.S. Department of Treasury is working to expedite check and direct deposit payments in the affected areas for certain federal benefits that are scheduled for regular delivery in the first week of the month.
- The U.S. Department of the Treasury, through the Federal Reserve, has requested that financial institutions in the Gulf Coast states honor the paper checks as well as consider making Direct Deposit payments available.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- USDA is working with the American Public Human Services Association to recruit additional workers who can be deployed to help process Disaster Food Stamp Program applications.
- State Distributing Agencies of USDA food commodities are encouraging schools serving as shelters to utilize existing food inventory to help support mass feeding. The Memphis School System is utilizing USDA commodities to support eight local shelters for evacuees.
- USDA will lease two food safety mobiles to deliver food safety and cleaning supplies to areas affected by the hurricane and will conduct cleaning and food safety demonstrations for the public.
Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA)
- VA is working closely with other federal and local agencies to protect patients, staff and operational capability.
- VA medical centers and clinics near the affected area are prepared to absorb any extra patients and will contact their regular patients to reschedule appointments if necessary.
- Veterans who receive monthly compensation for disabilities, education, pension or other benefits will continue to receive regularly scheduled payments. VA national cemeteries in the affected areas have activated their emergency response plans and are standing by to reschedule burials if necessary.
- Veterans who need prescription refills are advised to call in their requests, rather than travel to a VA health care facility.
U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
- USPS operations at Post Offices located within the path of the storm are expected to be impacted in the event of unsafe conditions such as high winds, flooding, or impassable roads.
- Depending on local conditions, some post offices may temporarily close, mail delivery services may be curtailed, and mail collection schedules from mailboxes could be suspended.
American Red Cross (ARC)
- The first priority of ARC is to provide people with food, shelter, comfort and emotional support. ARC is managing more than 330 shelters across the region caring for more than 44,350 evacuees.
- The Red Cross encourages evacuees to register as "Safe and Well" at www.RedCross.org. Concerned family and friends can search the list of those who have registered themselves as "safe and well."
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.
Last Modified: Monday, 01-Sep-2008 18:01:41