On Friday, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, announced that as a massive winter storm is set to sweep across most of the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has deployed rescue teams to three states, with over a dozen teams on standby.
Noem stated in a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): “Now is the time to prepare. This agency urges the public to pay attention to information released by local officials and take any necessary actions to stay safe, as severe winter weather is sweeping across the country.”
According to the DHS statement, FEMA has deployed Incident Management Teams to Louisiana, Texas, and Virginia. Noem mentioned in the statement that there are over a dozen teams on standby that can respond to requests for assistance from other states, with an additional 28 FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams also on standby.
In a memorandum, FEMA stated that they are preparing for a “major winter storm that will begin to traverse the central United States on Friday, affecting over thirty states.”
The US National Weather Service forecasts a widespread and long-lasting massive winter storm extending from the southern Rockies to the New England region, expected to last at least until next Monday, bringing heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain to large parts of the United States.
The storm is predicted to bring extremely low temperatures, gusty winds, and dangerous wind chills to the central northern United States, affecting residents of the Southern Plains, Mississippi River Valley, and Midwest, impacting a population of 240 million people in over thirty states.
Ahead of the approaching winter storm, at least 12 states across the US have declared states of emergency, including Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, among others, to prepare for the severe weather.
Noem mentioned that FEMA has activated the agency’s National Response Coordination Center and six regional response coordination centers with agency offices to synchronize federal-level emergency preparedness and interagency coordination. She added that FEMA has deployed staff to state emergency operations centers in all states “to ensure real-time coordination.”
In the statement, Noem also mentioned that FEMA distribution centers in storm-affected areas in the southern and eastern regions have stockpiled plenty of food, water, blankets, and generators to swiftly provide relief supplies upon request.
(Report referenced from “The Hill”)