FEMA Ready For Hurricane Claudette Landfall
Release Date: July 15, 2003
Release Number: R6-03-51
Denton, TX -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to prepare for the landfall of Hurricane Claudette. The Category 1 hurricane is forecast to make landfall near Port O'Connor, Texas around 3 p.m. CDT today.
"FEMA is well prepared to support the state of Texas and communities threatened by Hurricane Claudette if needed," said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response. "In the meantime, residents in the storm area should continue to take precautions and heed the warnings of local officials."
In preparation for the storm, FEMA deployed liaison officers to the state operations center in Austin on Sunday. With better information on the storm's forecast track, FEMA deployed an advance element of its emergency response team to Austin on Monday. The team in Austin coordinates with state officials and is ready to begin damage assessment or response activities as needed, after the storm comes ashore.
FEMA also activated its regional operations center in Denton, Texas on Monday. The center serves as the main coordination point between all federal agencies with disaster responsibilities and state and local governments affected by a disaster. Other federal agencies deployed to the regional operations center include: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Weather Service, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Disaster Medical System, General Services Administration, and military liaisons.
Response assets are currently en route from the regional office in Denton, Texas to a staging area in San Antonio. The assets include a mobile command center, communications trucks, disaster field office equipment trucks and supplies to support a field office. The trucks will arrive this afternoon.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's mission within DHS is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and to effectively manage the federal response and recovery efforts for any national incident. To help meet this mission, FEMA oversees the National Flood Insurance Program, the U.S. Fire Administration and Citizen Corps.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 15-Jul-2003 13:12:15