Business Leaders Meet with FEMA to Determine Their Role in Recovery
Release Date: November 10, 2008
Release Number: 1791-242
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HOUSTON, Texas -- Representatives of local business, energy and government met last week with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials to discuss ways the private sector can play a bigger role in emergency management efforts.
FEMA Administrator David Paulison said the agency believes that developing strong partnerships with the private sector is important to the agency's mission of reducing the loss of lives and property in the event of a disaster.
Paulison said FEMA is looking at public-private partnerships as an integrated part of its emergency management plans. Local entities, such as business organizations, non-profits and chambers of commerce, provide a ready-made network of contacts when a disaster hits. Advance preparation by such organizations, such as creating an emergency plan and obtaining adequate insurance, can speed recovery from disasters.
Nelson Balido, director of FEMA's Private Sector Office, said FEMA had contacted over 750 private-sector entities in the weeks following Hurricane Ike.
Balido said FEMA is reaching out to critical business partners to discuss issues and seek counsel on how to integrate private sector resources. He said that, through the Private Sector Office, FEMA hopes to provide the private sector with a single entry point to the agency.
Twenty-five local business and government figures attended last week's meeting, which Balido said provided a forum for a dialogue on the private sector's areas of concerns and FEMA's ability to meet them.
"It is gratifying to see that businesses here support FEMA's efforts to work more closely with the private sector," Balido remarked. "The turnout by business leaders at this first meeting shows that they really understand the need to get involved in their community's recovery efforts."
Among those attending last week's meeting were U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands; Harris County Judge Ed Emmett; representatives of Entergy-Texas, CenterPoint Energy and Chevron-Phillips; the Port of Orange; Greater Houston Partnership; and small business representatives from Greater Houston, Greater Beaumont and Orange County.
Over the weekend, FEMA increased staffing for private-sector liaisons in its Joint Field Office and Area Field Offices. To contact a private-sector liaison, please call (512) 465-5858 or email at FEMA-Private-Sector@dhs.gov.
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: Wednesday, 12-Nov-2008 08:30:10