Aside from the Category-4 eye wall direct hit….
Aside from the possible tornadoes….
Man, that storm surge was bad!
Yikes.
Ready to do some disaster PIO stuff today in the Florida Keys.
@rusnivek
Much interest in today’s Community Meeting on updates for the Recovery phase here in Monroe County. HUGE turnout tonight.
Keeping things together as we at FEMA continue to support our local partners like the Monroe County Emergency Management Director Marty.
Behind the scenes: Some of my Branch V Division A-team that makes the FEMA magic happen.
Media on site. Lots of questions from everyone. And yes, as the FEMA PIO, I had to step in a few times.
Reporting live from the front of the room…
No time for lunch today so this will have to do.
As a Public Information Officer (PIO), you have weird schedules and you need to plan accordingly for foods/meals.
Disasters are not luxurious. You likely will not get to eat regular breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
I see the USAToday walking in so I gotta get to work.
Bring it.
We were requested to support an event at Ponciana School mainly for all the parents and families in Key West.
So….we are in. FEMA PIO Kevin Sur onscene!
Our hope is that we conduct numerous events in communities to help answer questions about disaster assistance.
We have multilingual people who go out with our teams and help translate Spanish, Creole, Haitian, etc…and we have hardware and locations that meet the needs of the access and functional needs population at all of our Disaster Recovery Centers.
We even have flyers and informational materials in Chinese, French, Vietnamese, etc….
Sometimes, people are confused and are not sure if you should apply. Here’s a tip: Apply.
Our staff is ready to help. No matter what language, apply for disaster assistance. The sooner the better.
“This is what we train for, this is what we do.”
We work closely with all of our partners in public safety to support the communities in this recovery process that were affected by Hurricane Irma.
“This is what we train for. This is what we do.”
Disasters don’t take holidays…neither do we.
The entire team Branch 5 Division A is here!
Let’s do this.
@rusnivek
It’s great to share the stories of survivors and employees here at FL / FEMA Disaster Recovery Center in Marathon.
Glad to host WOODTV news crews from Michigan today.
Interview in 3…2…1…
Another piece of the recovery effort is to breech the subject of mitigation.
We had several teams throughout the state placed in strategic locations – talking about mitigation strategies for various natural disasters.
Many of our teams handed out free flyers and pamphlets discussed ways to better mitigate dangers and potential issues at their residence or business.
Additionally, we also hosted several mitigation seminars across the state. Usually packed, we had lots of questions from disaster survivors
The one pictured above was in the second floor of the community’s fire station.
These types of community events are made so that residents have the ability to engage with Federal partners and ask questions, dispel rumors, and give a better understanding to processes.
And yes, no matter how early, mitigation and preparedness are such a critical part of phases of emergency management.
Found out the US Post office in Big Pine Key was obliterated. Deemed unfit for operations as the entire structure was condemned.
So the USPS continuity plan? Setup a field post office.
It is critical for disaster survivors to get mail.
Again, helping a community return to normalcy is incredibly important.
Got a chance to work with the Florida National Guard today. Their tasks set by Florida Governor Scott was clear to support Floridians in disaster recovery. FEMA’s role has always been to support and coordinate actions of resources in disaster response and recovery.
Here’s FEMA LNO John Allen greeted Brig General Canzoneri at the Key West International Airport.
Military partnerships are critical in a successful mission…esp this one. Hurricane Irma was devastating for almost all commmunities in the Florida Keys. Glad to provide Federal support to this team.
We were able to see the Florida National Guard working hard to cleanup one of the residential houses from a disaster survivor. We witnessed first hand those dedicated soldiers were giving to so many communities throughout the Florida Keys.
Hole in the roof? Roof ops? No problem. The National Guard has you covered.
A quick talk from the TAG to the troops and thanking them for their efforts…
…as well as a few words of wisdom from other leadership attending today’s events.
…but the work continued on for the entire team.
A handshake from leadership goes a long way.
Proud of their efforts in so many communities in Florida. Each one of them giving their time away from home, away from family…just so they can help rebuild another family.
This is what any American would do when someone needs help.
Believe me when I say, I am so glad to be a small part of this team and to tell this story. Great people helping out great people. Straight up, this is America.
This is what we train for. This is why we prepare. This is what we do
Where is @rusnivek? 