FEMA, Federal Partners Continue to Support State and Local Response in Midwest and Mid-Atlantic Region 

Release Date: July 5, 2012
Release Number: HQ-12-059

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WASHINGTON – The Administration, through FEMA, is committed to providing support to Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states affected by the storms. FEMA, through our National Response Coordination Center and Regional offices in Chicago, Ill. and Philadelphia, Pa., has been in constant coordination with our federal partners as well as impacted states since the storms first struck on Friday, to make sure there are no unmet needs.

The following timeline provides an overview of federal activities, to date, in support of the impacted states, families and communities.

Thursday, July 5

• At the request of the State of New Jersey, FEMA personnel are on the ground working with federal, state and local officials to conduct preliminary damage assessments in New Jersey as a result of the storms. These assessments are an important step in identifying the damages, helping the governor determine whether the event is beyond state and local capabilities, and if federal support might be needed.
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the lead agency for Emergency Support Function 12 – Energy, issues a DOE situation report.

Wednesday, July 4

• FEMA continues to stage and transfer supplies such as food, water, kits for infants and toddlers, and durable medical equipment to the states as needed, and requested.
• Twenty-nine FEMA community relations staff work with the West Virginia National Guard Bureau, visiting residents door-to-door to help spread the word about cooling stations, to assess needs and provide situational awareness to the state. In Ohio, Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Moore, highlights the importance of neighbors helping neighbors.
• DOE issues a situation report.

Tuesday, July 3

• DOE issues a situation report.
• At the request of the State of Maryland, FEMA deploys two Region Liaison Officers to the state Emergency Operation Center to coordinate potential federal resources requirements.
• FEMA deploys community relations teams to West Virginia to support state and local efforts to check on residents without power, provide informational resources, and provide situational awareness about conditions in impacted communities.

Monday, July 2

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deployed representatives to the West Virginia State EOC to assess medical needs and requirements for access and functional needs support.
• FEMA continues to distribute water and generators to various staging areas in Ohio and West Virginia, to support state and local response efforts.
• FEMA’s Regional Disability Integration Specialists in Philadelphia, Pa. and Chicago, Ill. send out information on Cooling Stations to the disability community, including through the National Federation for the Blind and Deaf advocacy groups, and reached out to these groups to determine needs of affected persons with disabilities.

Sunday, July 1

• FEMA stages water and generators in West Virginia as well as Columbus, Ohio to transfer to the State to support affected communities.
• One Mobile Communications Office Vehicle (MCOV) onsite in Morgantown, W.Va.; 2 MCOVs en route to Charleston, W.Va.
• In coordination with FEMA, the U.S. Department of Energy deploys experts to West Virginia and FEMA Headquarters in Washington D.C., and is supporting FEMA’s regional offices in Chicago, Ill. and Philadelphia, Pa.
• USACE deploys personnel to Ohio to support assessments and generator installations for emergency power.
• A FEMA Disability Integration Specialist participates in a coordination call with West Virginia Emergency Management to support identifying the needs of affected populations with access and functional needs.

Saturday, June 30

• President Obama issues emergency disaster declarations for the State of Ohio for all 88 counties in the state, and the State of West Virginia for all 55 counties in the state. The declaration authorizes FEMA and its federal partners to provide direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance to protect lives and property.
• President Obama speaks with Ohio Governor John Kasich, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin to receive an update on the severe storms, and to express his condolences for the loss of life and his concern for individuals and first responders still confronting the destruction and loss of power that is impacting communities as a result. The President tells the Governors that he has directed FEMA to ensure they continue to provide necessary support to state and local officials in impacted areas as they respond to these events.
• The President receives an update from FEMA Administrator Fugate on impacts and response activities in states, including parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, as well as the District of Columbia. The President asks Administrator Fugate to stay in close contact with our partners on the ground to make sure FEMA and federal partners are providing all available support, and to keep him updated as the response and recovery continues.
• DHS Secretary Napolitano speaks with the Governors of the affected states to express condolences for the loss of life and to ensure that federal support is provided to the states as needed.
• FEMA Administrator Fugate contacts District of Columbia Deputy Mayor for Public Safety to provide support as needed.
• A Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) team deploys to West Virginia to provide secure and non-secure voice, video, and information services, operations, and logistics support to state response operations, if needed.
• FEMA activates the National Response Coordination Center (NRCC), a multi-agency center based at FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The NRCC provides overall coordination of the federal response by bringing together federal departments and agencies to assist in the preparations for and response to disasters. Select emergency support functions are activated to support state operations.
• FEMA activates its Regional Response Coordination Centers (RRCCs) in Chicago, Ill. and Philadelphia, Pa. to support state requests for assistance.
• FEMA deploys Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMAT) and liaison officers to West Virginia and Ohio State Emergency Operations Centers to coordinate with state and local officials to identify needs and shortfalls impacting disaster response.
• FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate holds a video teleconference call to discuss the latest developments with the National Weather Service, partner agencies and regional representatives and to assess their needs or shortfalls.

Friday, June 29

• A line of severe thunderstorms moved across parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia causing widespread wind damage and there have been reports of significant power outages and debris.
• FEMA through its regional offices in Chicago, Ill. and Philadelphia, Pa., begins constant contact with affected states’ emergency management officials. FEMA Region III Regional Administrator MaryAnn Tierney and Region V Regional Administrator Andrew Valasquez III make direct contact with the Emergency Management Directors of the affected states.

For more preparedness information about extreme heat, visit www.ready.gov or www.listo.gov to find out how you can protect your family, pets, business and property.

For information on the latest Energy situation reports, visit www.oe.netl.doe.gov/emergency_sit_rpt.aspx.

Follow FEMA online at blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Thursday, 05-Jul-2012 16:40:01