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March 28, 2020
Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Division
Advisory
FEMA and Our Partners Remain Actively Engaged to Support State-Managed Coronavirus Response
“I can tell you this weekend, we will be reporting on aggressive efforts that our supply stabilization task force at FEMA is taking to import medical supplies from around the world.”
– Vice President Mike Pence
The federal government continues taking aggressive and proactive steps to address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The health and safety of the American people is our top priority.
The American people play a key role in the nation’s 15 Days to Slow the Spread campaign to help slow the virus’ spread and keep our most high-risk populations safe.
- For the latest updates and information on how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick is available at coronavirus.gov.
- Apple and CDC, together with the White House and FEMA, launched a new website and app with a COVID-19 screening tool and resources to help people protect their health.
Under the direction of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, FEMA, HHS and our federal partners are working with state, local, tribal and territorial governments to execute a whole of government response to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and protect the public.
As of March 28, FEMA, via the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), has delivered, or is shipping: 11.6 million N-95 respirators, 26 million surgical masks, 5.2 million face shields, 4.3 million surgical gowns, 22 million gloves, 132, 000 coveralls and 8,100 ventilators. We are sending more every day, and we are working nonstop to acquire or produce even more.
Today, the US-NS Comfort will be underway today from Norfolk, VA to New York, NY.
- The Comfort will arrive at Pier 90 in Manhattan on Monday – only approximately a mile away from the Javits Convention Center where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are actively constructing a 2,910-bed alternate care facility.
- The Comfort is equipped with 12 operating rooms, 1,000 hospital beds, a medical laboratory, a pharmacy, an optometry lab, digital radiology services, a CAT-scan, two oxygen producing plants, a helicopter deck and a crew of nearly 1,200 U.S. military personnel.
- The crew onboard the Comfort will provide critically needed medical surge capacity for New York Metropolitan area. Their mission will be to care for New Yorkers who do not have COVID-19, but who require urgent medical care.
On March 22, President Trump directed the Secretary of Defense to allow the states of California, New York and Washington use of the National Guard in a Title 32 status to support state and local emergency assistance efforts.
- This allows the governors to activate the National Guard to support their disaster response efforts, on a fully reimbursable basis and under their respective command and control, if that becomes necessary.
- Additional states can request this assistance and those requests will be considered.
On March 13, 2020, President Trump declared a nationwide emergency pursuant to Sec. 501(b) of Stafford Act to avoid governors needing to request individual emergency declarations.
In addition, the states of California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territory of Guam were approved for major disaster declarations to assist with additional needs identified in these states. Seventeen states and four tribes have issued stay at home orders.
Please see attached for updated information on Medical Hotspots, the federal response efforts, Community Based Testing Sites (CBTS), Ventilator Guidance, Coping with Stress, Defense Production Act, Disinformation and Rumor Control, How to Help for volunteers and the private sector, and the Strategic National Stockpile.
If you have any questions, please contact the National Business Emergency Operations Center at NBEOC@max.gov.
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FEMA’s mission is to help people before, during and after disasters.
Follow FEMA online, on Twitter @FEMA or @FEMAEspanol, on FEMA’s Facebook page or Espanol page and at FEMA’s YouTube account. Also, follow Administrator Pete Gaynor’s activities @FEMA_Pete
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