Get Serious, Be Prepared: Federal Preparedness For Ike
Release Date: September 8, 2008
Release Number: HQ-08-191
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 poses an immediate risk to southern Florida and will impact along the Gulf Coast later in the week. Residents from Florida to Texas are again reminded to "Get Serious: Be Prepared."
Evacuations are already underway in parts of southern Florida and residents are strongly encouraged to heed the direction of state and local officials on evacuations and on any other recommendations made by state and local government. Federal assets are supporting 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. In particular, residents in the Gulf Coast region many of whom are still feeling the impact of Hurricane Gustav should take this opportunity to replace any supplies they may have used and to refine their emergency plans based on their recent experience. 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. Preparations are already underway to support whichever states and communities bear the brunt of Hurricane Ike.
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.
DHS/FEMA continued.
- 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)
- The Coast Guard is urging the maritime community and boating public to track Hurricane Ike and take early action to protect themselves and their vessels. Extremely high seas, heavy rains and damaging winds that accompany tropical storms and hurricanes present serious dangers to mariners. Rescue and assistance by the Coast Guard and other agencies may be severely degraded or unavailable immediately before, during and after a devastating storm.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
- TSA deployed 110 officers to New Orleans to facilitate any needed evacuations.
- Hundreds of additional officers are standing by for deployment to other airports in Louisiana and Texas to support any 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's National Communications System (NCS)
- NCS personnel are actively reaching out to the states on Ike's projected path to confirm access procedures for restoration teams, and are adjusting critical communications infrastructure analysis for the Gulf Coast States.
- NCS is actively monitoring Hurricane Ike and its projected path in an effort to evaluate staffing and equipment resource requirements.
- Shared Resources (SHARES) High Frequency Radio Network is on standby.
- NCS is coordinating with the Federal Communications Commission on activation of the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) for Hurricane Ike.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- NOAA's National Hurricane Center is issuing watches and warnings as needed.
- NOAA's WP-3D and G-IV aircraft are conducting flights into Hurricane Ike. A NOAA aircraft is staged in Mobile, Ala. To conduct any damage assessment flights needed.
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.
- Florida National Guard Special Forces reconnaissance teams are staging in Key West and southern Florida to conduct immediate post storm damage assessments.
- A North Carolina National Guard C-130 cargo aircraft and crew is supporting evacuation operations in the Florida keys.
DOD continued.
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. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)
- USNORTHCOM has identified units in advance of landfall to assist FEMA and the states with a variety of assistance including helicopter support, medical evacuation, high-water vehicles, mobile communications 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.
- DOD is prepared to deploy an Operational Command Post for Hurricane Ike in order to coordinate land activity of active duty forces that may be deployed in support of the Primary Agency's post-landfall operations.
- DOD is prepared to provide one Air Component Coordination Element to assist with command and control of search and rescue air space coordination.
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 Health and Human Services (HHS)
- More than 1,400 National Disaster Medical System personnel along with medical assets have been deployed and staged in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Alabama and Louisiana in preparation for Hurricane Ike, and additional personnel have been activated and stand ready for deployment.
- More than 500 Uniformed Public Health Service officers have been deployed to Georgia and Louisiana through the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment.
- The Administration on Aging has deployed staff to work with the State of Florida.
- Medical and pharmacy caches are in place to support medical needs of impacted communities.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- CDC responded to state requests for public recommendations related to post-hurricane flooding, animal hazards and worker protection.
- CDC's is educating the public on health concerns and preparations before a storm strikes, including:
- Before the storm, learn about your community's plans and prepare your family.
- Help elderly and disabled family and neighbors to stay safe during an evacuation.
- Help elderly and disabled family and neighbors to stay safe during a storm.
- To learn more, call the CDC at 800-CDC-INFO.
The American Red Cross (ARC)
- ARC continues to prepare for Ike's landfall in the gulf coast, ensuring supplies such as toiletries, clean-up kits, cots, blankets and more will be available to those in need.
- Should residents need to evacuate, they are encourage to call a friend or family member before leaving home to communicate their plan. Evacuees should ask that individual 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 Energy (DOE)
- DOE is coordinating responders deployed along the Gulf Coast in preparation for Hurricane Ike.
- DOE is working with government agencies and industry partners to address potential cascading effects from Ike and to identify mitigation actions that maybe taken.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- EPA has deployed staff to the Florida Emergency Operations Center and to FEMA's National Response Coordination Center in Washington, DC as well as its Regional Response Coordination Center in Denton, Tex.
- Additional pre-deployment plans are in place for Ike.
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
- DOT activated an Evacuation Liaison Team to support evacuations in Florida.
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.
- Information on food safety during power outages is available 24 hours a day with SignFSIS video-casts in American Sign Language featuring text-captioning at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/SignFSIS/index.asp.
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
- DOL has income support and employment resources for workers whose jobs may be impacted - temporally or permanently - by the storm.
- Workers who are temporarily or permanently unemployed as a result of the storm can contact DOL's national toll-free hotline, 1-866-4-USA-DOL, or 1-866-487-2365 to connect with state and local officials in their states that can help them apply for income support and employment benefits.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
The SBA's Disaster Customer Service Center in Buffalo, NY is taking phone calls weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday. The center is also staffed up and is ready to respond to phone calls inquiring about disaster recovery assistance after Hurricane Ike makes landfall. That phone number is 1-800-659-2955 and 1-800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired. Customer service representatives can also be contacted by e-mail at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
U.S. Department of State (DOS)
- DOS issued a Travel Warning urging U.S. citizens to carefully consider the risks of travel to Cuba at this time due to the threat posed by Hurricane Ike and to inform them that State authorized the departure of non-emergency personnel and eligible family members of the United States Interests Section in Havana, Cuba.
- The U.S. Government continues to work hand-in-hand with the Government of Haiti and the international community to send critical humanitarian assistance to the communities which are being tragically affected by Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike. Our support includes provision of relief supplies, transportation and logistics to deliver relief, and ongoing damage assessments. Our highest priority is to help deliver urgently-needed relief supplies to communities which are now cut off from overland access.
- DOS facilities throughout coastal regions of the Southeastern US continue to monitor the progress of Hurricane Ike and are prepared to adjust operations accordingly.
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, 08-Sep-2008 16:28:17