Mississippi Governor Honors FEMA and MEMA Employees
Release Date: April 28, 2008
Release Number: 1604-645
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BILOXI, Miss. -- Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and First Lady Marsha Barbour recently honored numerous employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) for their outstanding work in support of the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort in Mississippi.
Arriving to a standing ovation from nearly 1,000 disaster assistance workers of FEMA's Mississippi Transitional Recovery Office (TRO), the governor and first lady joined Jim Stark, FEMA's acting Associate Deputy Administrator for Gulf Coast Recovery and MEMA Director Mike Womack in offering congratulations.
The governor expressed appreciation to FEMA and MEMA employees for their commitment to Mississippi's recovery in the face of criticism and challenges.
"Many of you lived here before the storm and even though you were victims too, you joined FEMA and helped in the recovery of your state. The storm didn't create character; it revealed it," said Barbour. "All of you are a testament to the 'pick yourself up by the bootstrap' attitude of Mississippi. Mississippians are very appreciative of the work you've done here."
"I would suggest you always look back on this time and say, 'This is a time I am proud of,' because you did so much good for so many people," said Barbour.
"Anyone who thinks you can get hit with [Katrina] and have a perfect response just doesn't know what they're talking about," said Barbour.
Sid Melton, director of the FEMA Mississippi TRO presented the first family with their own special awards for their unwavering support of the federal staff.
"The governor and first lady have stood behind us 110 percent and it's an honor to have them here with us today," said Melton.
Personnel from the following departments received a special coin in recognition of outstanding work:
- Acquisitions - Patricia Trusler
- Congressional Affairs - Randy Verret
- Environmental/Historic Preservation - Letha Dawson
- Equal Rights Office - Catherine Jourdan
- Finance - Sandy Shanks
- Human Resources - Romeo Brown
- Individual Assistance - Demetric Blankinship, Dominique Brennan, Al Buenz, Debbie Butcher, Patricia Craft, Donna Ford, Anthony Hodge, Gloria Howell, Niyokia Lee, Crystal Martin, Mai Nguyen, Jeffrey Powe, O'ouida Romious, Dave Schinnerer, Gary Wascom
- Intergovernmental Affairs - Sue Ann London
- Logistics - Michelle Baughman, Lachunda Magee
- Long Term Community Recovery - Natasha Vacroux
- Mitigation - Angela Haynes, Ashanti Smith
- Operations - Deborah Darsey (contractor), Mark Reyes
- Public Affairs - Neily Chapman
- Public Assistance FEMA - Crystal Delano, Larry Griffin (contractor), Clyde Scott
- Public Assistance MEMA - Chris Fields, John Moak, Mike Siler, Paul Verner (contractor), Melissa Vetter (contractor)
- Safety (Area Field Office in Jackson, Miss.) - Alice Coleman
- Security - Bruce Blayney
- Temporary Housing Staging Area - Linwood Gant, Dewayne Moore, Naomi Peterson, Josh Wert
The Voluntary Agency Liaison and Building Services sections were honored as well and received group certificates of appreciation.
Outgoing Chief of Staff for Gulf Coast Recovery Operations Michelle McQueeney received special recognition for her work in the recovery efforts during the past two and a half years. McQueeney will be transitioning to a career in the private sector.
Photo Link: www.photolibrary.fema.gov/photolibrary/photo_details.do?id=35046
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.
Last Modified: Monday, 28-Apr-2008 15:05:40