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Rep. Bilirakis Talks Hurricane Readiness with State & Federal Emergency Management Officials |
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May 15, 2007
WASHINGTON (15 May) - U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) today questioned a
panel of Florida state and federal emergency management officials on national
hurricane readiness during their testimony before the House Homeland Security
Committee.
Just two weeks before the
official start of the new hurricane season, FEMA director R. David Paulison and
Florida Emergency Management Director William "Craig" Fugate, were among the
panelists discussing FEMA's preparations and the level of national hurricane
readiness.
Congressman Bilirakis, a
member of the Committee, strongly advocated for Director Fugate's testimony to
establish a sense of Florida's
preparedness. Fugate suggested that the federal government take a more
proactive role in disaster preparedness. "Stop responding to disasters, and
start mitigating," said Fugate.
In his remarks to FEMA
Director Paulison, Rep. Bilirakis said, "many experts have predicted that this
hurricane season will be ‘very active.' Obviously, those of us who
represent coastal states are very concerned about this potentially dangerous
forecast." Bilirakis said that the Administration should support legislation he
has introduced (H.R. 913) that would provide tax incentives for Americans who
invest in their property to better withstand hurricane and tornado-force
winds.
Next week kicks off Hurricane
Preparedness Week (May 20-26, 2007), which seeks to raise awareness and
preparation about the potential for hurricane disasters. "I encourage all
Floridians to take this week to talk with their family members about having a
plan ready in the event of a hurricane," said Bilirakis. "This is a good time
to learn more about the type of information about disaster preparedness that
can save lives."
Florida's Division of Emergency Management's website
recommends taking the following steps to prepare for the 2007 Hurricane Season,
which runs from June 1 through November 30.
* Have a family disaster plan
and disaster supply kit.
* Build or identify a
Safe-Room in your Home
* Purchase and use a weather
radio in your home with a tone alert feature to receive warnings issued by your
local National Weather Service office.
* Inquire if your Community
is StormReady - a voluntary program run by the National Weather Services that
prepares communities with an action plan responsive to all threat types of
severe weather.
More information about these
and other disaster preparedness recommendations can be found at http://www.floridadisaster.org. The
Department of Homeland Security and FEMA also provide checklists and information
on natural disasters and other threats at http://ready.gov
and http://fema.gov/plan.
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