Washington, D.C. – On the first day of hurricane season, Tracy Henke, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Grants and Training, and Honorary Chair of the National Citizen Corps Council, met with members of the council to discuss efforts to improve community preparedness.

Launched in 2002 by the White House, Citizen Corps is the nationwide grassroots movement to actively involve Americans in making our communities and our nation safer, stronger, and better prepared for all hazards and threats. Citizen Corps engages citizens in local initiatives to prepare, train, and volunteer through a national network of state, local, and tribal Citizen Corps Councils.

The National Citizen Corps Council meeting provided members, who included representatives from business associations, government agencies, community groups, schools, non-profit organizations, and emergency responders, the opportunity to engage officials from the Administration and Department of Homeland Security on methods to create a culture of preparedness.

President George W. Bush highlighted the importance of Citizen Corps and emergency preparedness. The President stated, “Citizen Corps is making a significant difference in our country. When the hurricanes hit our Gulf Coast last year, members of the Citizen Corps played a critical role in the relief efforts. Congress needs to provide the Citizen Corps with the funding you need to keep our communities safe and prepared for emergencies.”

Frances Fragos Townsend, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, also underscored the critical role of Citizen Corps in community preparedness as she discussed the findings of “The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned.”

George W. Foresman, Undersecretary for the Department’s Preparedness Directorate, charged the Council and its Affiliate organizations with increasing personal preparedness and making risk management a common concept. Increasing community preparedness is essential to homeland security because, as Under Secretary Foresman noted, the government will not have the resources to provide assistance to all citizens in the immediate aftermath of an emergency or disaster. When citizens manage risk by preparing themselves and their families for a minimum of 72 hours of self-sufficiency, the government will be able to focus response efforts on those communities most in need.

Details and transcripts from the meeting will be available shortly at www.citizencorps.gov.

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