April 30, 2001 – Key players in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Region 2 operations are gathering in the Virgin Islands this week to focus on hurricane preparedness and response procedures.
FEMA's Interagency Steering Committee for the region, which encompasses New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, will meet Tuesday through Friday at the Renaissance Grand Beach Resort on St. Thomas.
The steering committee consists of representatives of the various federal agencies that may be called into service in response to a federal disaster declaration, along with their state and territorial counterparts — including the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency.
The purpose of this week's meeting is to "prepare coordinated response procedures" with an eye toward the start of hurricane season June 1, according to Adj. Gen. Cleave A. McBean of the V.I. National Guard.
In a Government House release, McBean said the Caribbean Regional Response Team will hold its semiannual meeting concurrently with that of the steering committee. The team, co-chaired by a representative of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, helps plan responses to incidents in the territory involving hazardous materials, work that often involves coordination with the steering committee.