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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 28, 2008 No. 08-088 HURRICANES MILES AWAY, BUT KANSAS MAKING RESPONSE PLANS NOW Personnel from the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, Kansas National
Guard and Kansas Highway Patrol met today at the State Defense Building
to discuss strategy for responding to Hurricanes Gustav and Hanna as they
speed toward the Gulf Coast, applying lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina
and Hurricane Rita. KDEM officials have already received a request from the state of Mississippi
for support through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a multistate,
mutual aid agreement. Two personnel will leave tomorrow and three more
on Saturday to go to Jackson, Miss., to support the State Emergency Operations
Center. KDEM and the Kansas National Guard are anticipating requests for personnel,
aircraft, trucks and other equipment to assist with emergency response
and relief efforts. Officials are also anticipating requests to provide
shelter and food for hundreds of people who will be displaced by the storms. "We have staff monitoring the situation throughout the holiday weekend,"
said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the adjutant general and director of the Kansas
Division of Emergency Management. "We learned a lot from Hurricane
Katrina. One key lesson was 'Get ahead of the curve.' Even though the
hurricane isn't projected to hit until Tuesday, we're getting equipment
ready and alerting personnel of the potential need to be available to
respond. We're making sure that the proper paperwork is in place to send
support and our communications lines are open." -30- |
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