For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) hosted a national exercise for Cabinet members and senior administration officials whose agencies are involved in hurricane preparedness and response.
The exercise, Principals Level Exercise 17-3, was conducted at FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C. and focused on the federal government’s roles and responsibilities to support survivors and state and local governments, recover from infrastructure failures, and overcome communication, logistics, and coordination challenges. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly is the principal federal official for leading federal incident management efforts.
“I invited my counterparts to come together today for this exercise to ensure we are all on the same page and ready for hurricane season,” said Secretary Kelly, who chaired the exercise. “The President has made it clear to me personally and to the entire Cabinet that the American people expect us to be ready to act quickly, efficiently, and effectively when a disaster occurs. DHS and FEMA take this sacred responsibility seriously and work closely with our partners at all levels of government to deliver a coordinated and effective response, in order to provide our citizens relief from natural disasters.”
"This hurricane season is expected to see above normal activity, and coordination among federal partners is critical to supporting state, local, tribal, and territorial governments as they prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate any hazard,” said FEMA Administrator Brock Long. “Businesses and individuals also have a role to play. It’s a shared responsibility and now is the time to get prepared."
The exercise examined federal agencies’ ability to meet core capabilities described in the National Preparedness Goal. Discussions focused on operational priorities and the coordination structures within the National Response Framework, which organizes federal response resources in support of state, local, tribal, and territorial partners.
Exercise participants included:
Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price
Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry
U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Linda McMahon
Deputy Secretary of Transportation Jeffrey Rosen
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Paul Selva
Other Senior Administration Officials
For more information on these exercises, visit https://www.fema.gov/national-exercise-program. Learn more about hurricane preparedness at http://www.Ready.gov/hurricanes.
Additional photos can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/dhsgov
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