Ike Strengthening: Personal And Federal Preparedness Key
Release Date: September 11, 2008
Release Number: HQ-08-200
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 is now expected to impact Texas and Louisiana tomorrow, with the storm bringing rain and wind to additional states as it moves inland. Residents from the Gulf Coast to the Tennessee Valley are reminded to "Get Serious: Be Prepared."
Hurricane Ike has the potential to be stronger and more deadly than previous storms this year. Individual and community preparedness is an essential element in reducing its impact. Individuals, families and businesses should prepare emergency supply kits that can provide for basic needs for at least 72 hours and develop family emergency plans. Emergency preparedness information for individuals and businesses is available online at www.ready.gov.
Residents should also listen carefully to instructions from local and state officials - especially with regards to evacuations. While these evacuations can include some aggravations as part of the process, they are the wise choice for people who live in an area likely to be hit by the storm and wish to avoid the devastating consequences. The real lesson from the evacuations related to Hurricane Gustav is that they successfully reduced the number of injuries and deaths that too often accompany a major storm. Evacuees should also remember that important services such as power, water, sewage and medical assistance may also be limited in the aftermath of a storm and wait to return until essential services are restored.
President George W. Bush issued a pre-landfall disaster declaration in Texas that enables federal aid to supplement and support any of the immediate response efforts. Federal assets are already deployed to provide this support as requested, including:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- FEMA has pre-positioned staff and assets across Texas and in neighboring states to ensure their availability for any preparations or response activities. Response teams are in place, to include anticipated commodities and logistical support. Additional details are posted at www.FEMA.gov.
- FEMA has stationed Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMATs) in Austin and San Antonio, Texas. IMAT teams provide essential situational awareness and are the initial federal coordinators on the ground.
- Urban Search and Rescue Teams are pre-deployed across Texas and in neighboring states where they can quickly assist any rescue operations in the immediate aftermath of a storm.
- FEMA has commodities and emergency resources across Texas including meals, water, blankets, cots, generators and diesel fuel. Contracts have been activated to supplement existing resources without shifting resources from other disaster operations. FEMA is also working with the private sector and voluntary agencies to enhance their abilities to provide resources and support to communities before and after a storm.
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
- USCG continues to conduct port assessment operations and forces have been deployed to conduct response, recovery and clean up operations, and are working with port and industry partners. USCG's mission is to open the ports as soon as possible with minimum effect on commerce.
- USCG has 17 helicopters in Texas and 10 helicopters within reach to support search and rescue operations as needed. USCG also has 10 fixed-wing aircraft to support over-flight and transportation missions.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
- TSA deployed more than 400 additional personnel, including Transportation Security Officers and Federal Air Marshalls, to facilities across Texas to assist with 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.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- ICE has more than 1,000 personnel ready to support general law enforcement missions.
- All residents should respond to local and state evacuation orders. ICE will not conduct immigration enforcement operations associated with evacuations.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- CBP will not conduct immigration enforcement operations associated with evacuations. All residents should respond to local and state evacuation orders.
National Protection and Programs Directorate
National Communications System (NCS)
- NCS is coordinating with Texas state officials to finalize storm preparations to move communications teams and assets. This includes identifying potential staging areas for telecommunications industry personnel and coordinating access by telecommunications workers into affected areas.
Infrastructure Protection (IP)
- IP is focused on key elements of the region's infrastructure including power grids and generators; ports, oil, gas and petrochemical facilities; and water and wastewater plants.
- Eighteen IP Protective Security Advisors are supporting preparedness and response efforts, beginning to identify critical infrastructures in the storm's projected path, and assessing any potential impacts.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- NOAA's National Hurricane Center is monitoring Hurricane Ike, issuing watches and warnings as needed. NOAA's National Weather Service forecast offices in Texas are supporting federal operations in the region as well as state and local emergency managers.
- NOAA's aircraft continue round- the-clock operations in support of hurricane research, reconnaissance and surveillance missions into Hurricane Ike.
- NOAA post-landfall response teams (hazardous materials scientific support, coast survey) are staged and ready for deployment.
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
- DOT is facilitating evacuations in coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation, including the opening of shoulder lanes on evacuation routes.
- DOT has plans and pre-positioned equipment in place to facilitate debris removal and other actions which will accelerate their ability to reopen roads following the storm.
- DOT's Federal Aviation Administration deployed Field Maintenance Party teams, Disaster Assessment Teams, Immediate Restoration Teams, and a Communications Support Team to Texas to assist with the quick restoration of airport capabilities in the wake of the storm.
- DOT is working with the rail industry as they place personnel and equipment in staging areas to help them reenter, assess and clear tracks as needed.
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
U.S. National Guard Bureau (NGB)
- NGB is staging provisions, prepositioning people and equipment, and coordinating with federal, state and local governments.
- The Texas National Guard has activated more than 2,000 Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen to provide support for evacuation, search and rescue, and shelter operations.
- The Texas National Guard's Standing Joint Interagency Task Force is prepositioned in San Antonio with 900 people and 500 'high-water' vehicles.
U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)
- USNORTHCOM is supporting medical and special needs evacuations from coastal Texas locations.
- USNORTHCOM has identified additional units able to provide a wide range of additional support including helicopter support, medical evacuation, high-water vehicles, mobile communication 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.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
- USACE has pre-positioned key personnel and equipment so that it can perform debris removal, commodities procurement and delivery, temporary emergency power, temporary housing, temporary roofing, infrastructure assessment, and support to urban search and rescue missions.
- USACE has 400,000 sandbags on-hand in the Galveston area as well as a Deployable Tactical Operations Center, Rapid Response Vehicles and other key commodities staged in San Antonio and Austin.
- Of note, the pre-positioned teams ready to support a Temporary Power mission represent the largest concentration of assets for such a mission in the history of the USACE.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
- VA staged fuel, water, food, medications, and supplies, and has essential staff to be on-hand to meet the health care needs of veterans in the area.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- DOE remains in close contact with Gulf Coast utilities as they monitor the path of Hurricane Ike and make advance preparations.
- As Hurricane Ike approaches the Gulf of Mexico, many natural gas producers, pipeline and processing plant operators are taking advanced precaution to shut-in and shut down operations.
- Sixty-three percent of the Gulf's manned platforms have been evacuated and 66.9 percent of rigs operating in the region have been removed. Eight refineries are reported to be shutting down in anticipation of Hurricane Ike.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- HHS has activated the National Disaster Medical System, a federally coordinated operation that can assist state and local officials in dealing with major disasters.
- Working closely with DOD and VA, Disaster Medical Assistance Teams are helping evacuate an estimated 200 patients by air and many more on the ground from Texas health care facilities on Wednesday and Thursday. These patients are being moved to locations within Texas, but away from the storm's path. Additional locations have been prepared to receive patients in Oklahoma and Arkansas if needed outside of the State.
- Nearly 6,000 health and medical personnel have been staged and stand ready to assist.
- Additional Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and Medical Assistance Strike Teams are stationed in Texas. Medical and pharmacy caches are in place to support medical needs. Five 250-bed Federal Medical Stations and seven mobile, stand-alone emergency room facilities that support local hospitals with any surge in visits are also already on the ground in Texas.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- CDC is supporting federal medical stations in College Station and San Antonio, Texas in coordination with HHS and in coordination with state and local health departments.
- Infection control messages are deployed with equipment and supplies and are available in multiple languages at http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/educationalmaterials.asp#hand
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- HUD is using the National Housing Locator (NHLS) to heavily target support for those in the Houston area as well as the rest of Texas. The NHLS is a searchable, web-based clearinghouse of available rental housing nation-wide. It allows HUD and its business partners, in particular state and public housing authorities, to deliver housing assistance by rapidly locating rental housing and available government-owned single family homes for sale during an emergency.
- HUD has over 250,000 units in the region available through the NHLS.
U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
- USPS is advising customers to deposit outgoing mail today or tomorrow to ensure timely processing of mail destined for delivery outside the local area. If roads become impassable or unsafe for travel, mail delivery services may be curtailed, and mail collection schedules from mail collection boxes could be suspended.
U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury)
- Treasury worked with the U.S. Social Security Administration and the U.S. Postal Service and delivered approximately 40,150 checks in advance of the storm.
- Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control is approving new licenses and amending existing licenses for the increased transfer of funds for hurricane relief on the island of Cuba. This will enhance the ability of U.S. citizens to contribute to Cuban hurricane relief through licensed providers.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- EPA has staff deployed across the region to prepare for any hazardous material spills, establish plans with state and local officials, and to educate residents on the danger such spills can pose.
National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA)
- NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will remain closed until the storm has passed.
- The International Space Station Flight Control Room at Mission Control in Houston has turned over monitoring and control of the International Space Station to backup teams located near Austin, Texas and Huntsville, Ala.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
- SBA is reaching out to homeowners, renters and businesses to encourage them to review their insurance policies to make sure they understand what is and isn't covered.
- SBA put on stand-by 3,500 Disaster Reservists to prepare to staff up SBA's Disaster Customer Service Center, the Disaster Loan Processing and Disbursement Center, and the Field Inspection Teams.
- SBA is reaching out to homeowners, renters and businesses to encourage them to review their insurance policies to make sure they understand what is and isn't covered.
The American Red Cross (ARC)
- ARC relief workers have mobilized to Texas, where supplies are in place and preparations are being made to help provide relief. ARC continues to work with partners such as the NAAP, National Baptist Convention, Catholic Charities and more to coordinate human and material assets along the affected area.
- ARC has more than 300,000 shelf stable meals in place along with more than 2,000 staff and more than 100 Emergency Response Vehicles.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- USDA is using public service announcements and working with local government to educate residents about how to keep food safe during power outages and how to prevent food borne illness once families return to their homes.
- 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.
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
- GSA has taken emergency steps to facilitate travel, lodging and fuel purchases in certain counties and other affected areas in the state of Texas threatened by Hurricane Ike.
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: Friday, 12-Sep-2008 09:22:28