Witt part of task force to help groups ravaged by pandemic

Former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director James Lee Witt today is helping to launch the COVID-19 Legal & Government Affairs Task Force.

The organization has promised to provide free “legal and government affairs advice” to pandemic-ravaged small businesses, nonprofits and local governments.

Without help, many entrepreneurs will likely never recover, Witt said in a telephone interview Monday.

“I responded to 340 natural disasters when I was director of FEMA,” said Witt, the task force’s co-chairman. “After an event, like a [Hurricane] Katrina or a Hurricane Sandy or a tornado in Oklahoma, 40% of small business never reopens.”

The covid-19 toll threatens to be even higher, he warned.

“Basically we’re going to be offering critical advice and counseling to help [small businesses] to help themselves. I think it’s absolutely critical that we get this done.”

The task force was the brainchild of Jon Harsch, a former partner at Witt Global Partners and the CEO of 202works; Harsch’s company is helping to connect legal and public policy experts with those needing help.

Thus far, more than two dozen firms have already agreed to participate, organizers say.

They aim to help 1,000 entities navigate the “complex legal, regulatory and public policy waters” arising from coronavirus-related health and economic challenges, their news release states.

The goal, Witt said, is to “make a difference in our country and our economy [by] helping small business.”

“We’ll be able to maybe help them save their business, and that’s why we’re doing it,” he said.

Harsch’s website, 202works.com, is providing the platform for connecting experts and those needing assistance.

It lists examples of the type of assistance that is available. For example, it contains information about federal lending programs, tax law changes, tariff waivers on medical supplies, and temporary charitable deductions for universities.

Former Rep. Patrick E. Murphy, D-Fla., is another task force co-chairman who will assist with today’s kickoff.

“If the COVID-19 crisis has shown us one thing, it’s that America depends on a steady hand of leadership in emergency,” Murphy said in a news release. “Many small businesses have never had to engage policymakers before or lack experience with nuanced local, state, and federal policy matters. Navigating the legal and policy world is complex and time consuming, which makes the 202works Task Force and firms offering pro bono services through the platform even more important in getting private-sector leaders the support they need to weather the COVID-19 storm.”

Witt, a former county judge 0f Yell County, led the Arkansas Office of Emergency Services before taking the helm at FEMA.

Since covid-19 became a pandemic, he has been busy. “Working every day hard,” he said.

Witt helped the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences secure personal protective equipment.

He also tracked down laser thermometers for a day care in New York City that watches the children of first responders and health care professionals, he said.

He’s assisting California universities and medical schools in processing work orders and FEMA reimbursement documentation; he’s helped Tyson locate hundreds of laser thermometers.

Officials in Tulsa and in Pittsburgh have also reached out for help, he added.

Asked how the covid-19 pandemic compares to the 340 disasters he dealt with as FEMA director, Witt said: “It’s totally different.”

“This is a very out-of-thebox event. You know, we’ve never had our nation shut totally down from a disaster like this,” Witt said. “There’s just a lot of need out there and we … want to try to help fulfill that need as quick as possible, so we’re going to make ourselves available and accessible to help them.”

The federal response, thus far, hasn’t always been smooth, he said.

“Early on, I wish they had set up a very robust supply chain … instead of every state competing against each other and the federal government competing against the states. That is not a good way to do it,” he said.

Nor is it wise to waste food when so many are struggling to get by, he said.

“You know, farmers are letting crops rot in the field,” he said.

“The federal government needs to be buying [the produce] … and donating it to food banks because food banks are going to absolutely need it,” he said.

Witt fears, with states starting to reopen, that there may be a second wave of infection, he said.

Social distancing can help lower the chances of another spike, he suggested.

“I think everybody should be very cautious and just use good common sense,” he said.