How U.S. workers are preparing for Florence, recovery

As Hurricane Florence churns toward the Carolinas, bearing a potentially lethal ocean surge and winds and torrential rains, the federal government is marshal- ing its forces to help communities prepare and recover.

President Donald Trump said Thursday afternoon that he was briefed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, first responders and law enforcement officials, who are ready for the Cate- gory 2 storm to make landfall Friday. “We are with you!” Trump tweeted, along with a satellite map showing the swirling mass heading toward the U.S. coast.

Here’s a look at what the federal government, which has 4,000 employees involved in the effort, is doing to prepare as the winds and rain start bear- ing down on the Carolinas.

FEMA: The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Homeland Secu- rity Department arm that was criticized for its poor response to Hurricane Maria and other disasters last year, has been the centerpiece of the Trump administration’s preparations for the storm.

More than 1,000 FEMA workers are preparing to respond to Florence and other storms with teams deployed to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia ahead of landfall to assist with evacuations, conduct search and rescue, and help distribute food, water and other needed items after the storm. Among the “preposi- tioned resources” are more than 11 million meals, 18 mil- lion liters of water, 60 thousand cots and 1 million blan- kets, according to the White House.

EPA: The Environmental Protection Agency, which is the lead agency for spills of oil and other toxic substances on land, is monitoring more than three-dozen Superfund, oil production facilities, and chemical storage sites that may be in the path of the hurricane. The agency is also monitoring drinking and waste water sites that could be in harms way.

have teams of on scene coordinators and equipment ready to deploy,” said Reggie Cheatham, director of the EPA’s Office of Emergency Management.

Energy Department: The Energy Department is monitoring the storm’s impact to millions of utility customers as well as the status of refineries, nuclear power plants and other sites in Florence’s path. The agency says it has deployed employees to emergency operations centers in the Carolinas to help.

Additionally, more than 40,000 utility workers from at least 17 states stand ready to assist with turning the power back on, the department said.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an independent agency, is sending inspectors to nuclear plants that could be damaged by the hurricane, including Duke Energy’s Brunswick plant on North Carolina’s southern coast — directly in Florence’s projected path.

Military: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has more than 200 employees on Florence duty and has already received $6 million “mission assignment” dollars from FEMA, according to the Corps’ Ray Alexander. The agency is also monitoring five of their dams in Virginia and dams they own in Virginia and North Carolina.