Bill Carwile, associate administrator for FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, delivered the keynote address at the Gulf States Hurricane Conference in Biloxi, Miss. on June 6. This annual three-day conference was hosted by the states of La., Ala., and Miss. In his remarks, Carwile discussed FEMA’s current priorities: catastrophic planning and engagement of the whole community to meet resource needs during catastrophic disaster events; the development of FEMA doctrine; and enhancements of the FEMA workforce to better support disaster-impacted states and local communities. Following Carwile’s speech to the 350 participants, Jasper Welsch, Executive Staff Officer at the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, presented him with a carving from a piece of wood removed from a tree destroyed by the saltwater surge during Hurricane Katrina. The carving depicts a Light House and is inscribed “Still Standing.” The wood used for the carving was leftover from a live oak tree sculpture created by a chainsaw artist. Chainsaw artists have transformed dead live oaks lining scenic Highway 90 from the Biloxi Bay Bridge to Waveland, Miss., into artwork. The sculptures are now a tourist attraction and symbolize the revival of Southern Miss.