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EPA Prepares for Hurricane Wilma
Release Date: 10/21/2005
Contact Information:
Contact: Eryn Witcher, 202-564-4355 / witcher.eryn@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C.-Oct. 21, 2005) As Florida residents closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Wilma, the Environmental Protection Agency is preparing for its potential impact. Preparing to assist state and local authorities, the EPA has pre-deployed staff to two key emergency centers in the threatened areas.
"The people of Florida are taking this storm seriously and so is the EPA," said EPA Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock. "We are on the scene and ready to respond to protect human health and the environment."
EPA staff are currently stationed in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Regional Response Coordination Center in Atlanta, and additional EPA staff will deploy today to EPA's Florida Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. These staff will help direct the agency's emergency operations if a response becomes necessary.
EPA's Region 4 office in Atlanta will continue to coordinate with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection during the coming days. In addition, specialized emergency response personnel have been identified in the nearby EPA regional offices who are available to assist. As a standard procedure, EPA pre-deploys personnel and assets to hurricane threatened areas of the United States.
Under the National Response Plan, EPA is the lead agency for the Emergency Support Function #10, which addresses incidents involving the potential or actual release of oil or hazardous materials.
For information on preparing for a hurricane, see: https://www.epa.gov/naturalevents/hurricanes.html
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