FEMA Logistics Prepares for Hurricane Irene

Slate 1

August 25, 2011

Hurricane Irene threatens the 
U.S. Atlantic seaboard. FEMA
logistics teams coordinate
positioning of life sustaining
commodities and supplies.

Speaker: Kertz Hare

We're in Atlanta, in the
regional headquarters;
just below us in the 
response center, we 
are preparing for 
(Hurricane) Irene. 
We're actually
ahead of the game right 
now, maybe 48 hours 
out. The reason
we are being proactive 
in it and so far ahead 
of the game is because, 
last time we
spoke, I was telling 
you about the huge 
commitment to planning, 
all the objectives about planning. 
Since that time we have 
taken on a new administration 
and we've introduced this 
whole community concept 
in the way we approach disasters.
For instance what's happening 
right now, with Irene, our 
response to Irene, everybody
is coming to put their 
piece of the puzzle together... 
expectations are known, 
because all the way down
to the POD, the citizen level,
they know what's going on. 
Not only have we come
together in executing 
this plan, but we have
had an aggressive outreach
program where we've gone
to every level and dusted off
the plans and made sure 
everyone was an equal
contributor. This is a 
collaborative effort, where
all parties are engaged.

Speaker: Ronald Godwin

We have our commodities 
coming in, commodities
leaving... it's a cross-dock...
it's also an active Estes 
cross-dock too, so there's
going to be a lot of people
coming in, a lot of people
going out, our cross-dock
items, empty trailers coming
in, empty trailers going out,
so it's pretty active out here.
You take these survivors 
out here that doesn't have 
anything, a case of water
or a blanket to them could 
be everything they've got, 
it's our responsibility
to make sure they get as 
much as they can 
get or as much as 
possible... that's
what we're here for.

Speaker: Kertz Hare

... and that's really what 
logistics is all about. We
came into birth three years 
ago as a directorate in
FEMA; our main mission
was to be the Nation's 
single integrator for all 
logistics capabilities
at all levels... and here's 
where it all comes together
on our logistics plans 
we're executing... with Irene.