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Improving the Nation's Response to Catastrophic IMPROVING THE NATION’S RESPONSE TO CATASTROPHIC DISASTERS: HOW TO MINIMIZE COSTS AND STREAMLINE OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS (112–20) HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MARCH 30, 2011 Printed for the use of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure ( Available online at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/ committee.action?chamber=house&committee=transportation U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 65–452 PDF WASHINGTON : 2011 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE JOHN L. MICA, Florida, Chairman DON YOUNG, Alaska NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of FRANK A. LOBIONDO, New Jersey Columbia GARY G. MILLER, California JERROLD NADLER, New York TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois CORRINE BROWN, Florida SAM GRAVES, Missouri BOB FILNER, California BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania DUNCAN HUNTER, California RICK LARSEN, Washington TOM REED, New York MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts ANDY HARRIS, Maryland TIMOTHY H. BISHOP, New York ERIC A. ‘‘RICK’’ CRAWFORD, Arkansas MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER, Washington RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri FRANK C. GUINTA, New Hampshire GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana HEATH SHULER, North Carolina BILLY LONG, Missouri STEVE COHEN, Tennessee BOB GIBBS, Ohio LAURA RICHARDSON, California PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey RICHARD L. HANNA, New York DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland STEPHEN LEE FINCHER, Tennessee JEFFREY M. LANDRY, Louisiana STEVE SOUTHERLAND II, Florida JEFF DENHAM, California JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma (II) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT JEFF DENHAM, California, Chairman TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of ERIC A. ‘‘RICK’’ CRAWFORD, Arkansas, Columbia Vice Chair HEATH SHULER, North Carolina RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri BOB GIBBS, Ohio TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland RICHARD L. HANNA, New York BOB FILNER, California STEPHEN LEE FINCHER, Tennessee NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia JOHN L. MICA, Florida (Ex Officio) (Ex Officio) (III) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN CONTENTS Page Summary of Subject Matter .................................................................................... vi TESTIMONY Christmann, Gary A., Commissioner, City of St. Louis Emergency Manage- ment Agency ......................................................................................................... 26 Fugate, Hon. W. Craig, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency ................................................................................................................... 5 Hubbard, James, Deputy Chief for State and Private Forestry, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture .......................................................................... 5 Murphy, Brendan, Director, Grants Management, California Emergency Man- agement Agency, on behalf of Dayton, Mike, Acting Secretary, California Emergency Management Agency ........................................................................ 26 Rash, Rob, CEO and Chief Engineer, St. Francis Levee District of Arkansas ... 26 Shimanski, Charles S., Senior Vice President, Disaster Services, American Red Cross .............................................................................................................. 26 Weber, Michael, Deputy Executive Director for Operations for Materials, Waste, Research, State, Tribal, and Compliance Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ....................................................................................... 5 PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS Bishop, Hon. Timothy H., of New York ................................................................. 38 Norton, Hon. Eleanor Holmes, of the District of Columbia ................................. 40 PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED BY WITNESSES Christmann, Gary A. ............................................................................................... 42 Dayton, Mike 1 .......................................................................................................... 47 Fugate, Hon. W. Craig ............................................................................................ 56 Hubbard, James ....................................................................................................... 79 Rash, Rob ................................................................................................................. 86 Shimanski, Charles S. ............................................................................................. 89 Weber, Michael ........................................................................................................ 93 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD Fugate, Hon. W. Craig, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency: Responses to questions from Hon. Jeff Denham, a Representative in Con- gress from the State of California ................................................................... 69 Response to question from Hon. Richard L. Hanna, a Representative in Congress from the State of New York ............................................................ 75 Responses to questions from Hon. Timothy H. Bishop, a Representative in Congress from the State of New York ........................................................ 76 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, responses to questions from the Sub- committee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management ......................................................................................................... 97 1 The prepared written statement is from Mr. Dayton. Mr. Murphy testified on behalf of Mr. Dayton at the hearing. (V) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN vi VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 1 here 65452.001 vii VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 2 here 65452.002 viii VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 3 here 65452.003 ix VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 4 here 65452.004 x VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 5 here 65452.005 xi VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 6 here 65452.006 VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:59 Sep 21, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\112\ED\3-30-1~1\65452.TXT JEAN IMPROVING THE NATION’S RESPONSE TO CATASTROPHIC DISASTERS: HOW TO MINIMIZE COSTS AND STREAMLINE OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:01 a.m. in Room 2253, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Jeff Denham (Chair- man of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. DENHAM. The subcommittee will come to order. First, let me welcome our distinguished witnesses and thank them for testifying. The purpose of our hearing is to understand how prepared we are today, and what else Congress should do to enable you to perform your jobs successfully. I am confident that each of you will do everything within your power to save lives and reduce suffering when disaster strikes. Yet in 2005, we saw how a confused chain of command, failed commu- nications, and a host of other problems could thwart the efforts
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