4,000 strong: The Federal storm response
President Donald J. Trump and senior officials are monitoring multiple storms this week, including Florence, Olivia, Mangkut, and Isaac. The Administration began putting precautionary measures in place for these weather events before Labor Day.
More than 4,000 Federal employees, including more than 1,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are working around the clock in response to these storms. Federal teams have been deployed across the Southeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic regions, including:
- 2 Army Corps of Engineers teams in the Carolinas and Virginia to help plan for debris removal and temporary power support
- 5 Department of Health and Human Services Disaster Medical Assistance teams in the Carolinas, Maryland, and Virginia
- 7 FEMA Incident Management Assistance teams
- 16 FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams, including swift water rescue task forces
- Coast Guard personnel positioned in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia to quickly mobilize in support of search-and-rescue efforts
The private sector is the first source for goods in affected areas, and if those supplies are exhausted, State, local, and volunteer agencies step in to provide additional assistance. Among the resources already in place are more than 11 million meals, 18 million liters of water, 60,000 cots, and 1 million blankets.
It is the job of the Federal Government to support these parties any way it can. FEMA has more than two dozen Incident Support Bases, Distribution Centers, and other sites with life-saving supplies throughout the East Coast, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Guam, and the Northern Marianas Islands. FEMA National and Regional Response Coordination Centers have also been activated to coordinate with local actors.
“The safety of American people is my absolute highest priority,” President Trump said this week. “We are sparing no expense.”
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Photo of the Day
Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are briefed on Hurricane Florence by Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen | September 13, 2018
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President Trump Promises All-Out Response to Hurricane Florence
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“President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the federal government would spare no expense in responding to the likely damage from Hurricane Florence,” Reuters reports. “Whatever it takes, we’re going to do it,” the President said.
President Trump and FEMA have urged all Americans in the storm’s path to take any necessary precautions, including evacuation where necessary. “This has an opportunity of being a very devastating storm,” FEMA Administrator Brock Long said.
“Remember those warnings of an economic implosion if Donald Trump was elected President? Well, instead, the economy has broken out of the 2% growth doldrums from 2009-2016, and Barack Obama is suddenly elbowing his way back into the public debate to claim credit,” The Wall Street Journal editorial board writes.
“The Department of Transportation is waiving federal trucking rules to ease the flow of gasoline and other fuels into the Hurricane Florence impact zone that extends from South Carolina to Maryland,” John Siciliano reports for the Washington Examiner. “The fuel situation is one of the first situations that goes short during an emergency,” said Alex Keenan, Emergency Coordinator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
“Vice President Pence will go to Atlanta on Thursday to review preparations for Hurricane Florence, the Category 4 storm that is expected to make landfall later this week,” Tal Axelrod reports in The Hill. “It was projected Wednesday that Florence would shift slightly to the south and possibly hit Georgia as well” as North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
On Wednesday, President Trump signed an order authorizing a procedure that will “deter foreign countries or people from meddling in U.S. elections, creating a mechanism to automatically impose sanctions when intelligence agencies detect cyberattacks” S.A. Miller reports in The Washington Times.
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The White House • September 12, 2018
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A message from President Trump on Hurricane Florence
This week, three major storms threaten American communities across an area spanning nearly 5,000 miles: Hurricane Florence (the Southeastern coast), Tropical Storm Olivia (Hawaii), and Tropical Storm Isaac (the Caribbean).
Hurricane Florence in particular poses a catastrophic threat to millions living in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. The storm is expected to produce total rainfall of 20 to 30 inches, with isolated amounts up to 40 inches. “These numbers are hard to comprehend, but based on past experience, this amount of rain produces life-threatening, catastrophic flooding,” the National Weather Service tweeted.
President Donald J. Trump met with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, FEMA Administrator Brock Long, and other senior officials yesterday in the Oval Office to discuss preparations. “Hurricane Florence is setting out to be a devastating event,” Administrator Long said, comparing its potential to Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
The Administration is focused on helping state leaders and the general public alike before, during, and after the storm makes landfall. “We’re supporting the governors with achieving their life safety evacuation and movements,” Administrator Long said. “We’re focused on mass care and sheltering. And then we’ll be focused on helping them to execute their response and recovery goals.”
Earlier this week, President Trump approved emergency declarations for SouthCarolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. “I’ve spoken with the governors,” President Trump said yesterday. “They’re prepared. We’re prepared.”
To all Americans in the path of these storms: Be safe, be ready, and follow the advice of local officials.
Photo of the Day
Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian
President Donald J. Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, are briefed on Hurricane Florence as it approaches the East Coast | September 11, 2018
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