Norton's Hearing to Examine Federal Relief for Region's Snow Disasters Tomorrow

Norton's Hearing to Examine Federal Relief for Region's Snow Disasters

Tomorrow

WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's (D-DC) hearing, "Snow Disasters for Local, State and Federal Governments in the National Capital Region: Response and Recovery Partnerships with FEMA," will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, March 23, 2 p.m., in room 2167, Rayburn House Office Building. It will feature Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials with oversight of the disaster program, emergency management officials from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, officials from Metro, the Office of Personnel Management, and the D.C. National Guard, which was involved in the response to the snowstorms.

Norton, who chairs the subcommittee with jurisdiction over FEMA, said that the subcommittee will look at the action that has been, or could be, taken by FEMA and the affected jurisdictions, and will look at response and recovery funds for which the jurisdictions may qualify. The subcommittee also will look at how FEMA and other agencies and jurisdictions in the National Capital Region might prepare for and respond to future disasters, whether they are another snowstorm, a hurricane, a pandemic, or a terrorist incident. The Congresswoman said, "The virtually unprecedented back-to-back snowstorms remind us that the steps necessary to plan for events such as a snowstorm or hurricane, when residents cannot leave their homes, are the same as steps necessary when planning for a pandemic or other incident where residents should stay in place."

Confirmed witnesses include: Patricia Arcuri, acting regional administration, FEMA Region III; Steward Beckham, director, Office of National Capital Region Coordination; John Berry, director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management; Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, commanding general, D.C. Army National Guard; Millicent Williams, director, D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency; David Kubicek, acting director, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority; Richard Muth, director, Maryland Emergency Management Agency for National Emergency Management Association; Carter Kimsey, president, American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3034; Dr. R. Eric Peterson, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, and James K. Hartmann, City Manager, Alexandria, VA.