Hearing Of The Subcommittee On Economic Development, Public Buildings, And Emergency Management Of The House Committee On Committee On Transportation And Infrastructure - "Snow Disasters For Local, State And Federal Governments In...

Statement

Hearing Of The Subcommittee On Economic Development, Public Buildings, And Emergency Management Of The House Committee On Committee On Transportation And Infrastructure - "Snow Disasters For Local, State And Federal Governments In The National Capital Region: Response And Recovery Partnerships With FEMA"

Good afternoon and welcome to all, especially our witnesses, to today's
hearing to address the status of recovery efforts following this winter's storms
in the National Capital Region and the extent to which the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) is implicated. We also want to hear of the
lessons learned from these severe storms that might apply to future disasters,
regardless of cause.
This season, the National Capital Region experienced an unusually high
number, and severity, of winter storms. Between December 18 and 20, up to
20 inches of snow fell in the District of Columbia. According to the National
Weather Service, this storm ranked among the top ten of all time, not only for
the city, but also for the entire region, and was rated a Category 3 or "Major"
winter storm on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale, also known as "NESIS."
The December storm was quickly outdone in February by back to back storms
of blizzard proportions, which brought well over 30 inches of snow in most
areas of the District. The February storm was rated a Category 5 or "extreme"
storm, the highest level on the NESIS scale, and only the third such storm in
60 years here. Snow was as heavy elsewhere in the region, with up to 26 inches
in parts of Virginia and Maryland for the December storm, and a combined 50
to 60 inches in parts of Maryland for the February storms.
Both storms had impacts that were demonstrably larger than expected in
the Mid-Atlantic region, including the closing of schools, widespread property
damage and unusually severe power outages. The Metro bus and rail system,
the "backbone" of our region's transportation system, had to cease or curtail
service during these storms.
All of these results of the snowstorms had serious effects on the
operations of the federal government. The federal government was every bit as
affected as the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Thus, a disaster
in the National Capital Region brings unique jurisdictional and operational
challenges. Rarely, if ever, has a national disaster affected the heart of the
federal government as the snowstorms of this winter have. Federal offices
were closed for a day during the December storm and for four days during the
February snowstorms. We will be especially interested in the mitigation and
response of the federal government, particularly questions raised that go to vital
functions of the U.S. government, such as security. We will assess the
operations of the federal government during the snowstorms, both separately
and as part of the National Capital Region, where it is the major job and
economic sector. Closely related is the Metro rail and bus system, and how it
should be treated by FEMA and the region when there is a natural disaster.
When Metro goes down, so does the federal government.
Most of our witnesses are charged with planning for all unusual or
unforeseen events in the region. Their job is to prepare for, respond to and
ensure recovery from such events regardless of cause, and to mitigate their
effects. In doing so they employ an "all hazards" approach, recognizing that
while every disaster is unique, disasters have significant common elements.
For example, the steps to plan for events such as a snow storm or hurricane
when residents cannot leave their homes are the same as for a pandemic or
other incident when residents are told to stay in place.
Today, the subcommittee will be interested to hear about the approaches
that regional and federal personnel took in response the December and
February snowstorms and FEMA's responses and work with all the affected
jurisdictions since the snowstorms. We look forward to the testimony of all of
today's witnesses and to discussing how the Nation Capital Region should
address previous and future disasters.

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