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COVID-19 | Special Report
FEMA DISCUSSES
DISASTER
RESPONSE AND
COVID-19
FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor spoke
with media outlets around the nation Friday
about the whole-of-America response to
COVID-19. e Administrator talked about
the historic response to COVID-19, how
FEMA will apply lessons learned and future
guidance on how the agency will operate
during the upcoming hurricane season and
COVID-19 pandemic.
During the interview Administrator
Gaynor talked about several actions to
consider before a hurricane approaches, like
moving those at risk or in the path of a storm
to a shelter.
"Typically, in a hurricane, we would move
people from their homes that are at risk to
a shelter," he said. "But now we have to take
that into consideration. How much space
do we need in a shelter? What are all the
conditions that have to be there, to make sure
that we are socially distancing and that we
have good hygiene in shelters?"
During a Nextar Media interview
Administrator Gaynor talked about FEMA's
historic response to COVID-19 and how
the pandemic prompted a major disaster
declaration for every state, the five territories
and Washington, D.C., for the first time in
U.S. history.
"is is an historic response," he said,
adding that FEMA has a huge footprint
across the country and territories in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
e Administrator added, "is thing
[coronavirus] is so immense that it takes the
whole of America, whole of community to
do this."
