Officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency are scurrying to fill gaps in their preparedness plans after a response exercise indicated the agency might face challenges in a real emergency, according to an Associated Press article in the Houston Chronicle Monday.
The exercise, held three weeks ago, showed weaknesses in FEMA’s ability to evacuate those with special needs and get food and water into disaster areas immediately after an event. President Barak Obama—who noted the United States is more likely to be hit by a hurricane than a terrorist attack—said he’d be “very angry” if the agency was caught with it’s plans down in the wake of a disaster, according to the article.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said federal officials were “redoubling efforts” to fill gaps, but they weren’t the only ones that needed to keep their preparedness slates clean. Freshly-minted FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate encouraged the public to be vigilant, as well.
"There are a lot of folks that are going to need very specific help that should not have to compete with the rest of us who could have and should have done the things to protect our families," he said at a news conference.
That same day, Fugate and Napolitano teleconferenced with governors from states at risk of a hurricane strike, according to a FEMA press release. The meeting gave FEMA officials an opportunity to answer questions and update states on federal preparedness—including prepositioned assets, evacuation planning, and emergency communications.
The preparedness parley comes in advance of the recognized hurricane season beginning June 1 and National Hurricane Preparedness Week, which starts Sunday. For more on Preparedness Week resources and events, see FEMA's Hurricane Season 09 site.