Department of Homeland Security Prepares for Hurricane Jeanne

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
September 24, 2004

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to coordinate federal response operations and readiness activities in the southeast as the U.S. prepares for Hurricane Jeanne, the fourth hurricane to threaten the U.S. since mid-August.

Over the past several weeks, Homeland Security has been providing ongoing rapid assistance and critical supplies through the Department’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to residents and businesses recovering from Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan.  Homeland Security remains fully committed to continuing these recovery activities and providing immediate assistance to those states and local governments who may need federal support following Hurricane Jeanne, which is expected to make landfall late this weekend.

Homeland Security officials are fully coordinating preparations and in constant communication with our federal partners, governors, and other state and local officials in Florida and other possible affected states.

Millions of gallons of water, millions of pounds of ice, millions of meals ready-to-eat (MREs), and tens of thousands of tarps have been moved to staging areas for delivery to residents in states affected by hurricanes in the last few weeks.

Currently, more than 5,000 FEMA personnel are joined by emergency response personnel deployed from the U.S. Forest Service, the Coast Guard, Health and Human Service, Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and Department of Defense in states that have received Presidential declarations from the recent storm activity.  FEMA’s Hurricane Liaison Team remains activated at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, to assist with advisories, information coordination and emergency evacuation activities.  FEMA personnel continue to work with the victims of Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan while other FEMA staff has repositioned to respond to state requests for assistance as a result of Hurricane Jeanne.

The following activities are being conducted specifically to prepare for Hurricane Jeanne:

• FEMA has identified three Operational Staging Areas for pre-positioning commodities, equipment and other disaster materials.  These staging areas include Lakeland, FL.; Ft. Gordon, GA; and Ft. Bragg, NC.  FEMA also began moving supplies earlier this week to designated areas to ensure a rapid and effective response as soon as Hurricane Jeanne passes.  

• Critical commodities such as ice, water, meals and tarps are staged and ready for immediate delivery to residents in affected areas.  FEMA has moved 50 trucks of water and 50 trucks of ice to the Lakeland, FL staging area with an additional 100 trucks scheduled to arrive shortly.  A total of 1.5 million MREs are also scheduled to arrive at this designated staging areas with more MREs on the way.

• Forty trucks of water and 40 trucks of ice are being sent to federal staging areas at Ft. Bragg, NC, with the same amount going to Ft. Gordon, Georgia. FEMA also has four trailer-size containers with disaster supplies staged in Punta Gorda, FL, and four at Eglin Air Force Base.

• An Emergency Management Assistance Compact Team, EMAC-A, is being sent to the Florida Emergency Operations Center to assist with planning and preparations for Hurricane Jeanne's landfall and the ongoing recovery efforts as a result of Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan. The EMAC team consists of emergency management specialists from other states provided through mutual aid agreements.   FEMA has also sent a state liaison to the Texas Emergency Management Agency, where preparations are underway in anticipation of possible heavy rains associated with Tropical Storm Ivan.  

• Urban Search and Rescue Teams, Mobile Emergency Response Service communication units, Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) and Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams remain active and deployed in Florida and other states to assist with ongoing response and recovery efforts.  

• FEMA has also established Disaster Field Offices and Disaster Recovery Centers that enable residents to apply and receive disaster assistance as soon as possible following a federal disaster declaration.

• The U.S. Coast Guard has pre-positioned helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to support response activities, will broadcast hurricane advisories and warnings to mariners along the hurricane’s projected path and coordinate area harbor safety committees to prepare ports and minimize potential damage. Following the storm, the Coast Guard will assist with post-hurricane response and recovery operations to aid navigation assessment and repair, marine pollution response, search and rescue operations, and support to other agencies and humanitarian aid.

• Aircraft from Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement will help transport FEMA officials to and from sites and will fly over the storm's path following landfall to collect high-resolution images for damage assessment. The remotely sensed data will allow FEMA to better target areas needing immediate disaster damage assessment.

• The Department's Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection unit is assessing the vulnerabilities and potential impact to critical infrastructure located in the storm's projected path.  Based upon these assessments, Homeland Security will be prepared to work with private sector partners and state and local government officials during the recovery phase.

• Homeland Security is working with the American Red Cross and other volunteer agencies to ensure sheltering and critical needs are met immediately.

• All the National Processing Service Centers (NPSCs) are fully staffed and ready to register and process disaster assistance applications immediately, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  

• Homeland Security encourages citizens living in the areas of projected impact to heed all warnings and follow instructions of local authorities, especially those concerning evacuation warnings.  Residents should also take precautions immediately by reviewing emergency communications plans, stocking water and non-perishable food, storing additional ice in the freezer, and checking batteries in a battery-powered radio so that instructions provided by local emergency management officials may be heard and followed. Additional information about emergency preparedness can be found at Ready.gov or FEMA.gov.

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