Highlights of Federal Government Response
Highlights of the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina as of Wednesday:
– The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the nation’s disaster-relief agency, is providing medical assistance, search and rescue and support teams, supplies and equipment to the hurricane area.
– The Coast Guard has rescued or assisted more than 1,250 people, and its ships and aircraft are supporting FEMA. About 4,000 Coast Guardsmen helping with relief efforts. It has activated three national strike teams to help in removal of hazardous materials.
– The National Guard is providing support to civil authorities, providing generators, medical assistance and shelters and augmenting civilian law enforcement. There are about 11,000 Guardsmen now deployed in the region.
– The Defense Department has established Joint Task Force Katrina, based in Camp Shelby, Miss., to act as the military’s on-scene command in support of FEMA. It will provide rescue teams and medical evacuation units, a hospital ship and disaster-response equipment.
– The Health and Human Services Department has declared a public health emergency in the region. It has sent medical supplies, hospital beds and public health officers and is helping to coordinate hospitalization efforts.
– The Environmental Protection Agency has temporarily waived some anti-pollution standards for gasoline and diesel fuels in four affected states to avert fuel shortages.
– The Energy Department agreed to loan oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to one company and is considering other loans.
– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts are working with Louisiana state officials to implement a mosquito-abatement program.
– The Transportation Department is helping ship supplies to the area. It is assisting with damage assessments and is supporting detour planning and critical transportation system repairs.
– The Agriculture Department is providing food and assisting in setting up logistics staging areas, the distribution of food products and debris removal.
– The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is providing technical assistance to recovery workers and utility employers engaged in power restoration. In addition, OSHA is contacting major power companies to the affected areas to provide safety briefings to employees at power-restoration staging areas and informing workers about hazards related to restoration and cleanup.
– The Internal Revenue Service has announced special relief for taxpayers in the disaster area.
– The Small Business Administration will position loan officers in federal and state disaster recovery centers.
– The Homeland Security Department is coordinating the federal government’s assistance effort.