Since the deadly tornadoes first struck last week, FEMA, through our regional offices in Kansas City, Mo., Chicago, Ill., and Atlanta, Ga., has been in close contact and coordination with the impacted states. The administration, through FEMA, is closely monitoring storm impacts and remains in close contact with emergency officials in impacted states across the country to ensure that any unmet needs are addressed. FEMA and its partners have teams on the ground in hard hit areas, and are prepared to deploy additional teams and resources, if needed by the states.
Last week, President Obama spoke with the governors of Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio to express his concern for citizens impacted by the severe weather and tornadoes, and offer condolences to families who have lost loved ones. DHS Secretary Napolitano spoke, Saturday, with the governors of Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee following the storms that affected these states.
The following is an overview for Monday, March 5:
- FEMA, through our regional offices in Kansas City, Mo., Chicago, Ill., and Atlanta, Ga., continues to closely monitor conditions in the areas affected by severe weather, and has been in close coordination with state and local officials. FEMA continues to stand ready to support the states, as requested.
- Regional Administrator Phil May is in Kentucky, and meets with Emergency Management Director John W. Heltzel for updates on the state response efforts there.
- Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) Team proactively deploys to Kentucky to provide secure and non-secure voice, video, and information services, operations, and logistics support to response operations, if needed.
- At the request of the states, FEMA preliminary damage assessments are underway in Kentucky, Illinois, and West Virginia. These assessments are an important step in identifying the damages in impacted counties and will help the governor determine if additional federal support will be requested.
- At the request of the state, FEMA deploys teams to Ohio to assist with joint preliminary damage assessments with other state and local personnel. These assessments identify the damages in impacted counties and help the governor determine if additional federal support will be requested.
- Community relations teams deploy to Tennessee to assist with situational awareness following the storms in support of the state and governor, as requested.
- FEMA continues to monitor winter weather across the Mississippi Valley that may impact response operations or disaster assessments.
Why isn't Magoffin County, Kentucky, included in the March 6 declaration? I've been helping with the response there, and it's devastated. There has to be some mistake.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous - Damage surveys are continuing in other areas of Kentucky, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed. If you have damage to your home, and live in an area that has not yet be declared, we encourage you to contact your state or local emergency management office to report damage in your area.
ReplyDeleteState Emergency Management Office: http://kyem.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx
why is Kentucky and Indiana being approved, but not one county in Illinois? Is it because we're not close enough to Chicago for anyone to care?
ReplyDeleteI feel like FEMA denying the tornado victims all the help the government has to offer is as much as a HARD SLAP IN THE FACE OF EVERY FAMILY OR BUSINESS OWNER THAT LOST EVERYTHING THEY HAVE WORKED FOR ALL THEIR LIVES......THE MONEY FROM FEMA IS OUR TAX DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE ALL PAID ITS NOT LIKE WE ARE ASKING FOR MONEY THAT WE HADN'T ALREADY PAID WE ARE JUST ASKING FEMA TO RELEASE TO US OUR OWN MONEY TO TAKE CARE OF OUR CITIZENS THAT ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF HELP.......
ReplyDelete