NEWS INFORMATION FROM |
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THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED |
FOR IMMEDIATE USE |
HURRICANE WILMA PREPARATIONS ARE UNDERWAYMayor Stephen R. Reed today said that while Hurricane Wilma remains to the extreme South, preparations here have nonetheless occurred. The City is the statewide administrator of Pennsylvania Task Force One, one of the 28 federally certified national response teams, and the City has been in continuous contact with FEMA regarding the impending storm. The city’s senior deputy fire chief, Timothy Sevison, has already been dispatched to Florida to serve as part of the FEMA Incident Response Team, which will trigger federal, state and local responses to storm damage. Reed said the Pennsylvania Task Force One has also been readied. They were dispatched twice to the Gulf Region in response to Hurricane Katrina, once in Mississippi and then to New Orleans and neighboring Parishes. The Task Force’s inventory has been entirely replenished and is therefore ready to go, if needed, either in the South or in states closer, if the hurricane causes substantial damage closer to Pennsylvania. Multiple federally-certified Task Forces are already pre-positioned in Florida, all from Southern states. Reed said: “This year’s hurricane season has been extraordinary, with historically significant adverse impact. While we are in Harrisburg, we must remain vigilant, as response may be needed by our neighbors and fellow Americans. We remain at the ready.” The Mayor also stated: “We also remain totally prepared for what may come here.” All costs of the Task Force are 100% covered by FEMA. |
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