Tropical Weather Resources
May 22, 2009 7:58 pm US/Eastern
Napolitano: FEMA Is Ready For Hurricane Season
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano speaks on the Administration's comprehensive response to the situation along the border with Mexico during a briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2009.
Jim Watson/Getty Images
A little over a week and a half before the next hurricane season officially starts, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says The Federal Emergency Management Agency is ready.
Friday, Napolitano, who oversees the agency, visited a Florida hurricane response and recovery center and then toured the Port of Miami along with FEMA director Craig Fugate. They were studying port security and hurricane preparedness.
Federal forecasters have predicted nine to 14 named tropical storms this year, including four to seven hurricanes.
Napolitano said FEMA has never been better organized and better coordinated with state and local agencies than it is now.
"People understand you can't skimp on preparedness even in tight economic times, and we are working with localities on their preparations now, making sure that centers are set up, equipment and food and water are in position so they can be delivered very quickly," she said.
Fugate, the former head of emergency management in Florida, said it is important that in hard times resources are shared across all levels of government.
"If you look at just one city and say 'do you have everything you need?' they would rarely have that on a good budget year," he said.
Fugate said his experience in state government also taught him the importance of strong mutual aid between neighboring states. "We often focus on the local government as if that's the only solution, the reality is it takes everybody from local to state to federal working as partners," he said.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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