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RHODE ISLAND HOMELAND SECURITY PRIORITIES:

PREPARATION FOR THE 2006 HURRICANE SEASON

HEARING

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON 

HOMELAND SECURITY AND 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE

ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

FIELD HEARING IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

APRIL 20, 2006

Printed for the use of the 

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

(

(II)

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS 

SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine, Chairman 

TED STEVENS, Alaska 

GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio 

NORM COLEMAN, Minnesota 

TOM COBURN, Oklahoma 

LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, Rhode Island 

ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah 

PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico 

JOHN W. WARNER, Virginia 

JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut 

CARL LEVIN, Michigan 

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii 

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware 

MARK DAYTON, Minnesota 

FRANK LAUTENBERG, New Jersey 

MARK PRYOR, Arkansas

MICHAEL D. BOPP, Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

JONATHAN T. NASS, Counsel 

LARRY F. VIGIL, Professional Staff Member 

JOYCE A. RECHTSCHAFFEN, Minority Staff Director and Counsel 

DONNY R. WILLIAMS, Minority Professional Staf Member 

TRINA DRIESSNACK TYRER, Chief Clerk 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Opening statements: Page 

Senator Collins ................................................................................................. 1

Senator Chafee ................................................................................................. 3

WITNESSES 

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006

Hon. Donald L. Carcieri, Governor, State of Rhode Island .................................. 4

Hon. David N. Cicilline, Mayor, City of Providence, Rhode Island ..................... 12

Robert J. Warren, Executive Director, Rhode Island Emergency Management 

Agency ................................................................................................................... 14

Kenneth L. Horak, Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security ....................... 16

Major General Robert Thomas Bray, Adjutant General, Rhode Island National Guard ......................................................................................................... 19

John E. Chartier, Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director, City 

of Warwick, Rhode Island .................................................................................... 21

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF WITNESSES

Bray, Major General Robert Thomas: 

Testimony .......................................................................................................... 19

Prepared statement with attachments ........................................................... 53

Carcieri, Hon. Donald L.: 

Testimony .......................................................................................................... 4

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 31

Chartier, John E.: 

Testimony .......................................................................................................... 21

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 63

Cicilline, Hon. David N.: 

Testimony .......................................................................................................... 12

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 38

Horak, Kenneth L.: 

Testimony .......................................................................................................... 16

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 44

Warren, Robert J.: 

Testimony .......................................................................................................... 14

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 40

APPENDIX 

Photos of Hurricane Carol submitted by Senator Chafee .................................... 68

Evacuation maps referenced by Donald Carcieri .................................................. 69

(1)

RHODE ISLAND HOMELAND SECURITY 

PRIORITIES: PREPARATION FOR THE 

2006 HURRICANE SEASON 

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006

U.S. SENATE, 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY

AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, 

Providence, Rhode Island 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:30 a.m., at the 

Rhode Island Foundation, the Rhode Island Room, 40 Exchange 

Street, Providence, Rhode Island, Hon. Susan M. Collins, Chairman 

of the Committee, presiding. 

Present: Senators Collins and Chafee. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN COLLINS 

Chairman COLLINS. The Committee will come to order. Good 

morning. Today, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will conduct a hearing on the homeland security priorities of the State of Rhode Island with special emphasis on preparedness for the upcoming 2006 hurricane season. 

Let me begin this morning by thanking my friend and colleague, 

Senator Lincoln Chafee, for his leadership in developing this important hearing, for inviting me to come here today, and for his many 

important contributions to the Committee’s work in so many different areas. 

Rhode Island faces considerable homeland security challenges. In 

addition to being a major transportation hub with an increasingly 

busy international cargo port and being a center of industry, research, education, and recreation, Rhode Island has the second 

highest population density in the Nation. A disaster here, whether 

natural or manmade, could have especially dire consequences. By 

examining in detail the homeland security challenges of one State, 

we hope to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by 

other States. 

Rhode Island is a microcosm of the homeland security issues that 

must be addressed, particularly in other coastal States. The Governor was making the point to me that Rhode Island, while small, 

has more than 400 miles of coast land. Senator Chafee made the 

point to me that even though Rhode Island is very small geographically, it has a very concentrated population. That means there are 

special challenges in dealing with the homeland security implications. Rhode Island is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes. Of its 

39 municipalities, 21 have coastal shorelines and two-thirds of the 

2

State’s population lives in those 21 communities. Because of its 

small size, the entire State is considered to be coastal. Therefore, 

our focus on hurricane preparation is especially important this 

morning and timely, considering that hurricane season starts on 

June 1. 

Our Committee, as many of you may know, has been conducting 

and is about to conclude our investigation into the preparedness for 

and response to Hurricane Katrina. This is the most extensive investigation the Committee has ever conducted. It has spanned 

nearly 8 months with 21 hearings to date and testimony from more 

than 80 witnesses. In addition, Committee staff have conducted 

more than 300 formal interviews and examined some 820,000 

pages of documents. Our final report will be released soon, probably within the next 2 weeks. It will include our findings on a 

deeply flawed response that resulted in needless suffering and loss 

of life. It will also shine a spotlight on the failure of the partnership of emergency management agencies across all levels of government. It will include our recommendations on how best to rebuild 

and strengthen this partnership so that the failures of Katrina are 

never repeated. The fact that the 2006 hurricane season is barely 

a month away adds special urgency to our work. 

This region is by no means immune from hurricanes. Hurricane 

Bob in 1991 was small in size but highly concentrated in power. 

It struck Block Island and then the Rhode Island coast at high 

tide, causing heavy damage in Newport. It is an example seen time 

and time again during Katrina of how a storm can impede disaster 

response. Winds in excess of 100 miles per hour caused severe 

damage to police and fire stations in Bristol, Barrington, and Narragansett. As with Katrina, Hurricane Bob arrived with ample 

warning, but public officials had a difficult time convincing residents to evacuate. Hurricane Bob cost an estimated $900 million in 

property damage, caused 17 deaths, and left more than 2 million 

people without power. 

Hurricane Carol in 1954 was the second most destructive hurricane to hit the Northeast in the 20st Century, and Rhode Island 

bore its brunt. From Westerly to Newport, more than 5,000 buildings were destroyed and 66 lives were lost. At the time, Carol was 

the most expensive hurricane ever to hit the United States. 

And, of course, the most powerful storm ever to hit the Northeast 

was the legendary hurricane of 1938. The so-called Long Island Express slammed into Narragansett Bay with wind gusts exceeding 

180 miles per hour. It produced some of the most extensive and 

damaging river flooding ever seen and caused more than 600 

deaths. I stayed at the Biltmore Hotel last night and saw in the 

lobby the pictures and also the plaque showing how high the water 

rose. I don’t know whether that was part of the plan to make sure 

that I really understood what hurricanes could do to your State, 

Senator Chafee, but it was very effective indeed. 

Clearly, New England is by no means immune from hurricanes 

and the scientists tell us that more devastating hurricanes are likely to be on the way this season. The 2005 hurricane season was 

brutal with a record-setting 27 storms, including 15 hurricanes. 

This year could even be worse. Forecasters say that the Atlantic is 

in a period of increased hurricane activity that could last another 

3

decade or longer. And water temperatures are high, and that is not 

a good sign. We must learn the lessons of Katrina, and we must 

assist States like Rhode Island in meeting the challenges. 

Our witnesses today are here to help us do just that. I thank you 

all for coming and for your participation, and I’m sure your insights, knowledge, and experience will help better prepare Rhode 

Island for whatever disasters come your way and help our entire 

Nation, as well. 

It’s now my great pleasure to call on Rhode Island’s own Senator, 

Senator Lincoln Chafee, for his opening statement. Senator Chafee. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR CHAFEE 

Senator CHAFEE. Thank you very much, Senator Collins, and 

welcome to Rhode Island for this important hearing of the Senate 

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which 

you are Chairman. 

Hurricane Katrina, as you said, showed us all in a very vivid 

fashion that protecting our Nation comes in many different forms. 

Over the past 6 months, Senator Collins has led our Committee 

through an extensive series of hearings on the Federal, State, and 

local response to Hurricane Katrina. We have found numerous serious problems in coordination between key government agencies. 

We’re working to correct these problems to ensure they do not happen again. 

As Senator Collins said, Rhode Island is no stranger to hurricanes. Of course, in 1938 we had a Category 3 with winds, as Senator Collins said, of 180 miles an hour and a 16-foot tidal surge, 

which flooded Providence with 14 feet of water, and also we lost 

200 lives here in Rhode Island. 

In 1954, Hurricane Carol hit with a 13-foot storm surge that affected many area islands, tidal coastal communities. Downtown 

Providence, again, water reached 13 feet above normal. And, as 

Senator Collins said, we lost 66 lives here in Rhode Island in Hurricane Carol. 

And more recently, we’ve also had Hurricane Gloria in 1985 and 

Hurricane Bob in 1991. 

Today we are very fortunate to have key Federal and State officials with us to discuss our preparations for the 2006 hurricane 

season here in Rhode Island. We are pleased to have Governor 

Carcieri here to discuss our State’s preparations and discuss what 

resources have been dedicated to hurricane preparation and what 

additional resources may be necessary. We are also fortunate to 

have Mayor Cicilline with us to discuss disaster preparation in the 

capital city. Also, we have Ken Horak who leads FEMA’s work in 

Region 1 to discuss the Federal role in disaster preparation. And 

on the second panel, we will hear from gentlemen who are ensuring 

that Rhode Island is prepared for all potential disasters; the Executive Director of Rhode Island’s Emergency Management Agency, 

Robert Warren, and the Adjutant General of the Rhode Island National Guard, Major General Robert Bray. And finally, as the 

former Mayor of the City of Warwick, we are pleased to have John 

Chartier here to discuss hurricane preparations from his perspective as head of Emergency Management for the City of Warwick. 

4

1The prepared statement of Governor Carcieri appears in the Appendix on page 31. 

I know that Jack has just returned from the National Hurricane 

Conference, and we are eager to learn what he learned there. 

Thank you, Chairman Collins, for coming to Rhode Island to 

allow us to discuss this important issue to assure we are fully prepared for the 2006 season. I look forward to hearing everybody’s 

testimony. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you, Senator. I can think of no better 

person to lead off this hearing today than the Governor of Rhode 

Island. Senator Chafee is always reminding us in the Senate that 

Rhode Island has as its formal name the longest of any State. And 

I’m trying to remember whether it’s the State of Rhode Island and 

Providence Plantations? Pretty good. And it’s a great pleasure to 

have the Governor as our lead witness today. 

Governor, we welcome you and please proceed. 

TESTIMONY OF THE HON. DONALD L. CARCIERI,1 GOVERNOR, 

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND 

Governor CARCIERI. Thank you very much, Senator Collins, and 

welcome to the Ocean State. It is the Ocean State as you will keep 

hearing today. And thank you, Senator Chafee, for being here. The 

Senator and I had the pleasure on Tuesday of blowing up a bridge, 

and that will be memorable. 

I am pleased to have the opportunity to testify before you today. 

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we all know how important it 

is for our State and all States to be fully prepared, not if, but when 

a hurricane strikes our State. Since 1851, Rhode Island has experienced nine direct hits. We’ve learned firsthand what can happen to 

our capital city when a hurricane strikes. 

As you indicated, during the hurricane of 1938, the storm hit 

Rhode Island at high tide, flooding the Providence business district. 

Residents drowned, cars were submerged in seven feet of water, 

and buildings were damaged by the fury of the storm. 

Sixteen years later, our capital city was flooded once again by the 

tidal waves from Hurricane Carol. Just like the hurricane of 1938, 

Carol arrived near high tide. I did not experience 1938, but I was 

12 years old in 1954, and I remember it extraordinarily well. We 

lived near the water. My dad had a couple of boats. He shellfished 

summers. So I lived through and saw the devastation of Hurricane 

Carol. We went through it and saw it personally in the aftermath 

of that. So for me, this is a personal experience that I don’t want 

to see duplicated. Southern Rhode Island, as you pointed out, had 

wind gusts of 115 to 135 miles per hour, and T.F. Green Airport 

sustained 90 miles per hour winds. Hurricane Carol took a great 

toll on southern Rhode Island. From Westerly to Newport, some 

5,000 buildings were destroyed. In Westerly, it’s estimated there 

were tides up to 13 feet above mean high water, and 600,000 

Rhode Islanders lost power. The storm affected our capital city 

with water rising within a foot of the record line that you saw on 

the plaque commemorating the 1938 hurricane. So Hurricane Carol 

was a tough one, a stronger one, and had a huge impact on our 

State. 

5

Particularly after the hurricanes in Florida 2 years ago, as I took 

office here, I directed the Rhode Island Emergency Management 

Agency to begin updating Rhode Island’s hurricane plans. The lessons that we’ve learned through Hurricane Katrina have reinvigorated that process. Under the leadership of our new EMA Director, 

Bob Warren, and our new Adjutant General, General Bob Bray, we 

have been working hard and making major progress to make our 

plan the strongest and most effective in the Nation. In fact, the 

team from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently visited our State and praised those efforts. As I say, we are making 

major progress. 

We are currently working with a consultant and have been for 

a few months now to assist us in developing a comprehensive hurricane evacuation plan. As was clear from Katrina and its impacts, 

it was an issue of evacuation, getting residents out of harm’s way 

that would be affected by the storm surge. We paid a lot of attention to that. I allocated almost $20,000 out of my own contingency 

for purposes to make this plan and get it completed by June 1. It 

will give us a blueprint. I think you are going to see in subsequent 

testimony, we have got it up on the web site, and you will be quite 

impressed to see the actual evacuation plan and all the overlays in 

terms of Category 3 and 4 floodplains that we have outlined across 

the State. It will, as I said, give us a blueprint to follow, highlight 

the steps we need to take before, during, and after a hurricane. 

And our plan will address issues such as evacuation and resource 

management while the storm is still along the southeast coast line. 

As part of our efforts to better prepare for a hurricane, I have 

asked all municipalities for a report documenting that local emergency plans are as comprehensive as possible, especially for people 

with disabilities. Last fall, I attended a hurricane preparedness 

meeting with Bob Warren and our State’s Emergency Management 

Agency officials and local municipalities to ensure that all cities 

and towns have effective evacuation routes, as well as hurricane 

preparedness plans. We have already identified escape routes for 

the 21 coastal communities that might be inundated by flooding 

during a storm and have posted that information on the EMA web 

site. 

We have also worked with the Red Cross to solve the shortage 

in evacuation shelters. In fact, we have about 15 now of a targeted 

30 that we believe we will need to have available. All of the data 

in terms of percentages of people in the affected area who will require shelter, we are following that, and we’re working very closely 

with the Red Cross. They actually have primary responsibility for 

identifying those shelters, and that is ongoing. 

To make sure that our hurricane plan will ensure public safety 

to the utmost degree, the EMA has been developing a donations 

management plan, and we’re working on partnering with the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, as I mentioned, and the Rhode Island 

Community Food Bank to receive those items. 

The Rhode Island EMA has been working with the Department 

of Environmental Management to address the State’s debris management plan. If a Category 3 hurricane would hit our State, it 

could generate as much waste as the State would normally produce 

in 3 years. We must have the capability to clear critical infrastrucVerDate 0ct 09 2002 10:07 Jul 10, 2007 Jkt 028239 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\28239.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
6

ture and dispose of debris. Additionally, EMA has worked with 

FEMA to create a plan to distribute food, water, and ice to our citizens. 

Since I took office, I have made it a priority to enhance Rhode 

Island’s preparedness for hurricanes and emergencies of any kind. 

I have allocated $50,000 each year since I have been in office for 

ongoing support of the hurricane barrier. Our hurricane barrier, 

which was constructed after Hurricane Carol and after the capital 

city flooded twice, was tested in July before the Army Corps of Engineers, they oversee that, and it passed inspection. Since fiscal year 2003, Rhode Island has received $41.5 million 

in homeland security grants. That is enabling us to move forward 

with a host of projects, including urban search and rescue, hazard 

teams, and casualty trailers to name just a few. Currently, our State has requested nearly $60 million in home- land security grants. As you know, we are only guaranteed $7 million. We are very concerned about the new process. In order to continue the progress we are making in better preparing our State for 

a hurricane or a disaster, we must receive the funding that we 

need to protect the people of Rhode Island. As you pointed out, 

Senator Collins, we are a highly concentrated, densely populated 

State. We may be small in population, but we are all living closely 

together. I urge you to address this pressing issue so that we can 

build upon the momentum we have gained. 

For example, we are making progress in facilitating communication among first responders. A major issue that has been identified 

around the country we saw in the case of our Station nightclub fire 

that Senator Chafee is well aware of. The ability of first responders 

to communicate with one another was significantly hampered. 

We have enhanced the interoperability in Washington County, 

which is one of our southern communities’ counties, and work is 

underway to bring this standardized communications system for 

first responders in Newport, North Providence, Providence, and 

South County. However, in order to complete this statewide system, our EMA is seeking $32 million in homeland security grants. 

We also have Nextel radio systems in our hospitals and in every 

community in our State to enable first responders to communicate 

with emergency rooms. That got highlighted in the most recent review by homeland security personnel in terms of really being stateof-the-art, and we’re well ahead of the curve there. 

Last year, we dedicated a high tech $1.4 million mobile Command Center, which will enable us to set up a post anywhere in 

our State and allow Federal, State, and local agencies to communicate effectively during an emergency. 

Two years ago, Burrillville, one of our northern smaller communities, and several surrounding communities pooled their resources 

from homeland security grants to also purchase a mobile command 

post. And due to the generosity of a local resident, the City of Newport has a mobile command post. 

Additionally, Rhode Island E911 has implemented a pilot program that utilizes state-of-the-art technology which ables dispatchers to view a location from many different angles. This gives 

first responders all of the pertinent information before they get to 

a scene. 

7

To have more cohesive emergency operations, I have rec- ommended a $20 million bond to locate the Emergency Operations 

Center, E911, IT, and EMA at a single complex within the Pastore 

complex. The General Assembly has heard testimony on this issue 

and is considering the request. We also will be seeking $6 million 

from the Federal Government to make this a state-of-the-art facility. 

I should say that, and I know you sponsored legislation that I am 

very supportive of, one of the things FEMA needs to look at is the 

ability of States to be proactive, particularly in terms of hurricane 

preparedness, and one of the issues I see is sort of what we call 

State active duty. In other words, getting our people in the emergency operations centers up and running well ahead, days ahead 

of the actual projected landfall. Right now, I think it is a reticence 

because it is State money; if it never comes, then it is an expenditure out of the State funds. From a Federal perspective, if our goal 

is to make all the shoreline communities more prepared, I think 

that would be an excellent thing if we could somehow, I know that 

requires a modification of the Stafford Act or whatever, build funding from the Federal standpoint to stand those emergency operation centers up in anticipation of and ahead of the projected landfall. 

And it looks like I’m out of time. 

Chairman COLLINS. Take as much time as you need, Governor. 

Governor CARCIERI. Well, just a couple of last thoughts here. 

Last week, my staff and I met with Senator Chafee, I think I 

mentioned it to you, Senator Collins, to discuss emergency response 

plans for the Port of Providence in the event a series of catastrophic events occurred. There is a group that does modeling and 

simulations in terms of cascading events in ports. And when we 

saw what happened with Hurricane Katrina, and what followed, by 

the flood, we need some money. We are seeking $1 million that will 

enable us to be better prepared for the type of chain reaction that 

we may experience in the port here. If we had an event, at the 

LNG tank, for example, that then cascaded into subsequent events 

at other places, we are also the home for the distribution of petroleum to the northeast. So it wouldn’t just be a Rhode Island impact. In fact, it would be a knock-out impact in the region if we 

were to have cascading events here at the port. 

One final point I would make is over the last 2 years, as far as 

I am concerned, we have made major progress. Our plan was substantially inadequate 2 years ago. We have made major progress. 

My goal is by June 1 at the beginning of the hurricane season to 

have that plan completed, all elements in place have been exercised, and I am confident that we are going to get to that point. 

From the standpoint of working with FEMA, working with the 

Federal Government, working with the communities, the advantage 

we have as a small State is we can get together, and I think there’s 

a very cohesive attitude about attacking this problem, and I am 

very confident that we are in good shape. We will be in much better shape by June 1. And you will hear from the General and Bob 

Warren a lot of details, but I think there are some things at the 

Federal level that you could do and that you have indicated in your 

legislation that I would be, as I said, very supportive of. 

8

The notion that it is all based on population I just don’t think 

applies in our State. Coastline communities often are not highly 

populated in that sense, but if we are talking about hurricanes, we 

need assistance, particularly in the area of being proactive. Because when I look at our response system, very often it is reactive, 

after the event, now you have mobilized all of the resources, and 

I think that may be true of a terrorist attack or something like 

that. But in hurricane preparedness, I think being proactive could 

be a key in terms of making sure that everybody is better prepared 

and ready to go. 

So I will stop there because I know you have a bunch of questions. Thank you very much for the opportunity to appear before 

the two of you. And thank you again, Senator Collins, for coming. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you very much, Governor. Your testimony was excellent, and I want to congratulate you on focusing on 

so many of the issues that our investigation into Hurricane Katrina 

has taught us are the key issues and make literally the difference 

between life and death in a disaster. 

I was particularly interested to learn of the work you are doing 

on evacuations, and you have kindly provided us with the maps 

showing the routes and the plans that you have because that is 

really critical. What we learned in looking at Louisiana in particular is, although there were some evacuation plans, there was a 

delay in implementing them and in calling for a mandatory evacuation, but also there was a lack of familiarity with the plans. So 

I think the work that you are doing in advance of the involvement 

of the communities is completely the right way to go, and I commend you for that. 

One part that we found was a weakness with Louisiana’s plans 

is that their evacuation plans did not include a means to evacuate 

those who could not evacuate themselves, those without the means 

of transportation, those with special needs, those in nursing homes 

or hospitals. Is that an area that you are working on; and if so, if 

you could comment on that? 

Governor CARCIERI. Yes. I think you are absolutely correct, Senator. I think all of us were a little appalled when we saw the people in nursing homes that were unable to evacuate themselves 

were left behind and not properly considered and they did not seem 

to have the mechanism to move them out. I think we all learned 

from that. As part of our plan, we are doing it. We have done an 

assessment, and we are waiting now for the completion to come up 

with all of the cities’ and towns’ residents that they are aware of, 

nursing homes, day care facilities, those kind of things where we 

know that those facilities exist; how many of them are there, where 

are they, and does the municipality have a plan for taking care of 

those and evacuating those personnel. 

And that’s a key element of all of this because, as you pointed 

out, as I indicated to you, we are a small State with 400 miles of 

coastline, and there are, in fact, homes and facilities with people 

that would need assistance in that floodplain area. So that is clearly a piece of the whole plan that will be well identified. And, hopefully, if any municipality is going to need any assistance with those 

evacuations, we are prepared to provide that assistance, as well. So 

it will vary from town to town, some might have one facility with 

9

a few people, but we have also tried to ask them to go out a little 

further because often you have seniors that are in a home and are 

not prepared to evacuate themselves. In some cases, you rely on a 

community’s knowledge of their neighborhoods and so forth. 

So we are trying to reach out and get as much of that information as we can and make sure that, God forbid if we get hit, we 

know who we have to go in and help move out. 

Chairman COLLINS. The second issue that you mentioned that we 

found was a critical deficiency in the response to Hurricane 

Katrina was the inability of first responders to communicate with 

one another. We learned in the attacks on our country on September 11 that lives were lost because police officers could not communicate with firefighters and firefighters could not communicate 

with emergency medical personnel. The same thing happened in 

Hurricane Katrina. And, in fact, our investigation revealed that 

just within the New Orleans area, there were multiple systems 

that were incompatible, and this, as you know, is referred to as the 

interoperability issue. 

It sounds like you have made that a real priority but need some 

Federal funding to assist you in reaching the goal. Could you give 

the Committee a sense of how far along you are as a State in 

achieving the interoperability and how much, I think you said it 

was $32 million, that you have applied for. 

Governor CARCIERI. Yes. 

Chairman COLLINS. Whether you could continue to make the 

progress that you need to complete this or is Federal funding really 

essential? 

Governor CARCIERI. I would say Federal funding is essential because it is the acquisition of the equipment that we need to do that 

as you pointed out. 

I indicated one of our counties, Washington County, which is in 

the southern part of the State, a lot of coastline, we did a couple 

of years ago receive funding to make all those communities interoperable. We have a plan to bring it statewide. That is the $32 million that I referred to. I think it would be very difficult for us to 

do that without Federal assistance. 

The other thing, I think a key piece of that in terms is the mobile 

command unit I talked about. That is a very effective tool where 

you’ve got situations where you don’t have interoperability, where 

you’ve got different frequencies. We saw that, I saw that. We had 

a bad fire in Pawtucket, one of our own cities up here, and Massachusetts used theirs, and it was very effective, and they had people 

talking to one another. Now, that was all electronics. We have 

some of that capability, as I indicated, but I think to do this effectively, we need that Federal assistance. 

And I agree with you completely, everything—my own personal 

experience, when we had that Station nightclub fire, was very consolidated, concise in that one building, which we had responders 

coming from multiple cities and towns nearby. We had rescue personnel, we had ambulances, and we had people using personal cell 

phones trying to communicate, and that is a theme I have heard 

in talking with fellow governors. The whole notion of responders 

being able to communicate on the same frequency is critical, I 

think, to the response. 

10

So I would say that without Federal assistance there, I think it 

is going to be very difficult for a State like ours. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you. Senator Chafee. 

Senator CHAFEE. Thank you, again, Senator Collins. And, Governor, welcome, of course. 

Senator Collins, when the Governor was running for office in 

2002, he had a primary and then an election. So he was going 7 

days a week pretty much all summer, all fall. Then when he got 

elected, he had to put together a government and hire his people. 

So he finally got a vacation in February. As soon as he got to Florida, he got a call that there was a most tragic fire back here in 

Rhode Island. So he got the first plane back and dealt with, as we 

just discussed a little bit here, the tragedy that was unfolding. 

And, Governor, you talked a little bit what you have learned 

from that, but maybe just expand a little bit on, interoperability is 

certainly one issue, but how the first responders, what we learned 

from the Station fire and what improvements still need to be made. 

I know we had a very good response at that tragedy, but there’s 

always room for improvement. Where in particular can we focus? 

Governor CARCIERI. I think that you are right, Senator. We 

learned from those things. And one of the lessons early on was the 

whole communications, the responders being unable to coordinate. 

For instance, you had people still coming to the scene when the fire 

essentially was out. And we did not need fire support. What we 

needed was rescue support. We had communication problems, I 

think, with the hospitals because, as you recall, all of the—initially, 

many of the rescues were going to Kent County Hospital, one of our 

smaller regional hospitals, Senator Collins, and they had stood up 

all of that capacity; and the communication as to the flow, once all 

of the response was done and we had everybody accounted for, 

there was a real breakdown in communication in terms of letting 

them stand down now. We had accounted for everybody coming 

from the scene. So the whole communication, whether it is the first 

responders, the responders for the hospitals that are treating, is 

key. 

Let me also say that from my perspective, my experience with 

the Federal response was outstanding in that we needed the 

DMORT team that came in here, Senator, and they were here in 

less than 24 hours with their mobile unit. 

The whole team was here. We could not have done the job in the 

Medical Examiner’s Office in terms of identifying those victims of 

that terrible tragedy and returning them to their families and the 

time frame in which we did it, which was 5 days essentially. We 

were going round the clock. And that would not have been possible 

without the expertise, without the resources of the Federal 

DEMORT team. 

So my limited experience there in terms of the Federal response 

was outstanding. They were there. They came. They had all the resources. They were consummate professionals. I spent virtually 

every day going down to the medical examiner’s offices to see how 

we were progressing, what issues there might be that needed to be 

dealt with, and they were outstanding from that perspective. So a 

very defined and specific requirement we had, but they made it 

11

available, as I said, very expeditiously and with great professionalism. 

Senator CHAFEE. That’s all I have, Senator. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you. Governor, thanks so much for 

being with us today for leading off this hearing. We look forward 

to working with you. I do want to say again that I am impressed 

with the work that you are doing to get ahead of the curve and to 

make sure that Rhode Island is as prepared as possible, whether 

it’s for a natural disaster or an attack or any other catastrophe. 

And I very much appreciate your leadership, and we look forward 

to being your partners on the Federal level. 

So thank you so much for coming this morning. 

Governor CARCIERI. Thank you very much, Senator. I appreciate 

your support, both senators. The bill that you’ve got in, I think, 

recognizes the needs that are very different; you cannot just have 

one size fits everybody in this game. I want to assure you that from 

my perspective, you’ve got a great team here working very hard to 

do all the pieces in a very complex issue. Hurricane preparedness 

is very different than terrorist homeland security issues. We have 

both, and I think that we have tried to do, I think, the best job we 

can. I am very positive about the team we have built here, and so 

I am very confident we will be prepared. Thank you. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you. I would now like to call forth our 

second panel of witnesses. This panel consists of five local, State, 

and Federal officials. 

The first witness we are going to hear from on this panel is the 

Mayor of Providence, David Cicilline. He is a graduate of Brown 

University and Georgetown University Law Center. He is a former 

public defender, criminal defense and civil rights lawyer. He is also 

a former State Representative. 

He will be followed by Robert Warren, the Executive Director of 

the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency. Mr. Warren is 

a career firefighter, last serving as Chief of the Cranston Fire Department and the Director of the Cranston Emergency Management Agency before joining State government in 2005. 

Mr. Horak is the Acting Regional Director of Region 1 of FEMA. 

That is New England. I would note that in response to the hurricane in the Gulf region last year, I noticed that FEMA immediately 

turned to New England for help. And I think that shows that when 

you are in trouble, you always know New Englanders have the 

ability to handle most anything. Mr. Horak joined the agency in 

1983 as a disaster assistance employee and has held a variety of 

subsequent positions throughout the agency. His national disaster 

duty assignments have included Hurricane Andrew, the North 

Ridge earthquake, and 1993 Midwest floods. 

Major General Robert Bray was appointed as the Adjutant General of the Rhode Island National Guard in February of this year. 

General Bray has more than 35 years of military and emergency 

management experience. I would also note that it is very unusual 

for an adjutant general in my experience to have first responder 

experience, and I understand that you were a former fire division 

chief in South Dakota of all places, but we are pleased to have you 

here. 

12

1The prepared statement of Mayor Cicilline appears in the Appendix on page 38. 

Chief John Chartier is a 30-year veteran of the City of Warwick 

Fire Department. He presently serves as Chief of the department 

and as its Emergency Management Director. 

I am very pleased to welcome you all here today. I think we have 

exactly the people that we need to assist us in getting a good understanding of the interaction among all the levels of government 

that are involved when a disaster strikes. 

Mr. Mayor, we’ll start with you. 

TESTIMONY OF THE HON. DAVID N. CICILLINE,1 MAYOR, CITY 

OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND 

Mayor CICILLINE. Thank you very much, Madam Chairman, Senator Chafee. Welcome to Providence, Madam Chairman, and thank 

you for the opportunity to offer my testimony to this distinguished 

Committee. 

On behalf of our city, I thank you for the Committee’s efforts to 

protect our city, State, and Nation from the threats of terrorism 

and natural disasters. As our focus today underscores, recent 

events have taught us that we do not have the luxury of preparing 

for terrorist attacks at the expense of being ready for natural disasters. Both threats are imminent and share equal priority. In fact, 

with a terrorist incident in our region, it’s a matter of if it will happen. With a natural disaster like a major hurricane, it’s only a matter of when it will happen. 

In Providence, we know exactly what a devastating hurricane 

can do to our city. If you walk straight out of this building, I think 

as you have, about 100 yards to the Amica Building at 10 

Weybosset Street, you can reach up 8 feet to a brass plaque that 

shows how high the water rose during the hurricane in 1938, unlike the Governor, long before I was born. And several inches under 

that is another plaque showing the waterline from Hurricane Carol 

in 1954. The hurricane of 1938 cost about $300 million in preWorld War II dollars. Needless to say, if that kind of flooding were 

to happen in Providence again, the costs would be enormous. 

Two hundred eighty acres that make up the economic engine of 

the State of Rhode Island and the southern New England region 

would be drowned. 

Hundreds of businesses, thousands of jobs, hundreds of residential condominiums and apartments, the region’s transportation 

hub, the seat of city government, our Federal and State courthouses, State offices, the region’s major newspaper, dozens of facilities from four universities, our city’s power, sewer and water systems, all of these would be crippled. 

Fortunately, something now stands in the way of a major hurricane, and that kind of devastation in Providence, and that is our 

hurricane barrier. As you know, southern New England has a 

wealth of precious assets; but when you consider what it protects, 

our hurricane barrier may be one of the most valuable. I am 

pleased to report that with a tremendous amount of support from 

Senator Chafee, we have invested a great deal in recent years to 

bolster the hurricane barrier. Over the last several years, over $2 

million has been invested to upgrade this facility. Most of that has 

13

been made possible through Federal funds, but our local Providence 

taxpayers have also shared most of the burden, and the facility is 

maintained by our very own city Department of Public Works. 

We are confident the hurricane barrier can withstand up to a 

Category 4 storm surge, which would be 18 feet above median 

water levels, but there is still more we need to do in order to fully 

bring it up to date according to the experts who have done examinations. The major upgrade required is to the electrical system, but 

a variety of smaller fixes should be made as well. 

When the hurricane barrier was first constructed, it was envisioned as a local protection project, but its vital function has clearly 

outgrown this definition. While we are confident in our hurricane 

barrier, it is only responsible that we are prepared for a breach or 

for some other kind of unforeseen natural disaster. 

There are several other areas which our emergency response 

plans need the kind of fortification that can only be provided at the 

Federal level. Some of the FEMA maps that we rely on to estimate 

coastal flooding hazards are over 20 years old, and new development has altered watersheds and floodplains. 

We strongly support your honorable colleague Senator Reed’s National Flood Mapping Act that would require an update of these 

maps. It would also require FEMA maps also be based on the best, 

most up-to-date data. 

We need funding to support the re-engineering of roadways used 

as evacuation routes that better support high volume traffic and 

create extra large breakdown lanes to aid traffic flow. 

While we have a plan for emergency shelters in the City of Providence, the cost of maintaining them over a number of days or 

weeks is prohibitive for a municipality. We need support to cover 

costs such as the purchase of generators, construction of bathrooms 

and showers, and larger cooking facilities. 

Training is another important need. A plan is only as good as its 

ability to be executed as we have seen time and time again and has 

also been pointed out by our Lieutenant Governor. The time and 

expertise required of good training is a necessary investment, but 

it is also expensive. As with all good investments, I believe in the 

long run it would be cheaper to do these things than to not do 

them. 

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not take the opportunity to 

emphasize how effective the Rhode Island Federal delegation has 

been in making sure our region is as prepared as possible. We recently received important support for our Emergency Operations 

Center, our interoperable communications capabilities are being 

upgraded as we speak. And I particularly want to thank you again, 

Senator Chafee, for your focused attention for our hurricane barrier. Our region is safer thanks to the hard work of you and your 

staff. 

Madam Chairman, Senator Chafee, I am extremely grateful to 

have the opportunity to submit this testimony to this honorable 

Committee. Thank you. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Warren. 

14

1The prepared statement of Mr. Warren appears in the Appendix on page 40. 

TESTIMONY OF ROBERT J. WARREN,1 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

RHODE ISLAND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY 

Mr. WARREN. Good morning, Madam Chairman. Good morning, 

Senator Chafee. Thank you for this invitation to speak before you 

this morning. 

The Governor has addressed and General Bray will also address 

many of the initiatives that have been and are ongoing within the 

State. As the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Emergency 

Management Agency, I am in contact with local and Federal partners that the State interacts with on a daily basis. As such, my remarks today will address not only the issues that affect Rhode Island, but also those that I feel are important to maintain the 

unique relationship we enjoy with those partners. 

Being the Ocean State, all Rhode Islanders recognize the value 

of Narragansett Bay. This resource is one of my biggest concerns. 

The population that now lives or earns a living from the bay has 

increased tremendously in recent years. Yet our latest inundation 

studies of the bay were done in 1993. While we are working now 

to modernize these matters with grants from FEMA and other 

agencies, Congress must give the Army Corps of Engineers and the 

other agencies which perform these studies the appropriate level of 

funding to maintain the effectiveness of these programs. Responders and, more importantly, our municipal planners cannot accurately predict or prevent damage without current and up-to-date 

data. Funding for these programs will help prevent future disasters. Congress must make every effort to maintain these programs 

even though the benefit may seem to be years in the future. 

The past 6 months have been the most active that I can remember in my public safety emergency management career. The lessons 

learned from Hurricane Katrina have caused us to reexamine our 

assumptions and our priorities. Plans and programs in place today 

would not be successful without our Federal and local partners. 

The amount of planning and program requirements flowing down 

from the Federal level is placing a strain on our planning capabilities. As important as planning for hurricanes is, none of us can forget that other dangers still exist; terrorism, pandemic flu, and our 

own local hazards from industry and such cannot be ignored. 

My agency is now getting planning, exercise, and training guidelines and deadlines for program development from many Federal 

agencies, including Homeland Security, FEMA, National Guard, 

Center for Disease Control, and the NRC, with what seems like little coordination or recognition of our resources. Most of my staff is 

working on several plans simultaneously with conflicting deadlines 

and schedules. Only two communities in the State have full time 

emergency management staff. Most are either part time or do the 

work as collateral duty such as Chief Chartier. 

I ask that you take this back to Washington on behalf of RIEMA 

and that of our partners who are making every effort to meet the 

demands that I place on them to assist us in coordinating a plan 

for these disasters. This issue was also raised at the FEMA Regions 1 and 2 conference last week in Albany by the State directors 

of the New England emergency management agencies. A recent exVerDate 0ct 09 2002 10:07 Jul 10, 2007 Jkt 028239 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\28239.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
15

ample would be the DHS regional hurricane drill, which was 

planned for the same time as our regional conference with Canada 

is set up. Now, this did eventually get changed on behalf of 

Cristine McCooms from Massachusetts and Director Horak from 

Region 1, but, again, a lot of e-mails, a lot of time spent just trying 

to make sure we can all meet at the time the Federal partners 

want to meet. So that’s one of my issues. 

My last remarks do not mean to imply that we do not have a 

high level of cooperation with our Federal partners. FEMA Region 

1 has been more than helpful during my tenure at RIEMA. FEMA 

had a representative located in our State EOC during the entire 

week we were planning to receive evacuees from New Orleans and 

during the flooding that we experienced in October. We are using 

FEMA staff to help rewrite our resource management plan, and 

our three military emergency preparedness liaison officers have 

been active in the EOC during that plan and before the flooding. 

So I feel we get a high level of cooperation between Boston and 

Rhode Island. 

I truly believe that should Rhode Island face an event the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina, our relationship and communications 

with the various Federal agencies will be an asset, not a hindrance. 

Another issue that I feel needs to be addressed is the use of 

homeland security funds for multiple disciplines. DHS guidelines in 

the past have told us what the funds can be used for in any given 

year. I think this evaluation needs to be expanded to include areas 

such as natural hazards or other hazards. For example, one request 

I continually receive from local government is to use DHS funds for 

generators for public shelters. This has not been allowed in the 

past. Local directors feel that this is the most basic way to protect 

their citizens. These types of expenses need to be allowed by grant 

guidelines. The response to Katrina was the largest involving mutual aid in our history, and we need to examine the ways to make 

this response more efficient and easier for the responding States 

and local communities. The Emergency Management Aid Compact 

was used with great success in the last two hurricane seasons. 

EMAC is a State, not a Federal asset. But in all practicality, the 

system is funded through the Stafford Act so it goes into effect 

quickly during these events. I feel that Congress should take interest in this valuable aid system. The best way at this point would 

be to make it easier and quicker for the payment to the responding 

communities. It is not my intent to lead you to believe the system 

in place does not work or that it is totally a Federal issue. It just 

seems that the paperwork between communities and States and 

then the Federal Government leaves the local response communities or States using their own funds for a longer period of time. 

As we look at more national mutual aid in the future, I feel this 

area needs to be examined further and have more innovation. 

One specific request that I do have for you today is some direct 

funding for Rhode Island in building our Emergency Management 

Center. The Governor has placed before the legislature a request 

for $20 million to rehab a State owned facility that I will share 

with E911, DoIT, and RIEMA. If the Federal Government could 

contribute another $6 million specifically earmarked for EOC, that 

would be a great help to my staff. What we have planned now, 

16

1The prepared statement of Mr. Horak appears in the Appendix on page 44. 

while it may be adequate, is not what I think we will need in the 

future. And I think that if the Federal Government continues to 

hope or insist that the locals coordinate with the Federal Government, especially in a regional event, some assistance in giving us 

the proper tools would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you for allowing me to appear before you today. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. Warren. Mr. Horak. 

TESTIMONY OF KENNETH L. HORAK,1 ACTING REGIONAL DIRECTOR, REGION 1, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 

AGENCY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

Mr. HORAK. Good morning, Madam Chairman, Senator Chafee. 

My name is Kenneth Horak. As stated, I am the Acting Regional 

Director of FEMA Region 1. I will discuss today FEMA’s role and 

activities in emergency planning in Rhode Island and the specific 

activities associated with preparing for the 2006 hurricane season. 

As was noted, hurricanes are no stranger to Rhode Island including the hurricane of 1938, Hurricane Carol, which I do remember 

as well as the Governor, I was roughly his age at the time, but 

Hurricane Bob is the most recent example of the vulnerability of 

Rhode Island to hurricanes, and I was involved in the Hurricane 

Bob response. 

The historic 2005 hurricane season challenged FEMA as never 

before. While Hurricane Katrina resulted in a record response from 

all levels of government, the lessons learned from FEMA’s response 

have proved invaluable for the improvement of future major disaster responses. 

The State of Rhode Island responded in many ways, too, and we 

are particularly grateful to the State for providing housing and essential State and community services to over 200 evacuees from 

the devastated Gulf region under a Presidential Emergency Declaration. I want to particularly thank Governor Carcieri for his 

leadership in playing a significant role in what was truly a national response to Hurricane Katrina. 

Given the geographic relationship of our six New England States, 

FEMA Region 1 sponsors a regional approach to disaster plans and 

response. In that context, FEMA Region 1 conducted Operation 

Yankee, a regional preparedness exercise hosted by Rhode Island 

at the Naval War College in 2003. This 2-day event attracted over 

200 participants representing emergency management, law enforcement, health, medical, volunteer, and emergency services from 

throughout the region. 

We work closely with the Northeast States Emergency Consortium (NESEC), a not for profit, all hazard mitigation, emergency 

management mitigation organization consisting of the Emergency 

Management Directors from the FEMA Regions 1 and 2. NESEC 

is the only multi-hazard group consortium of its kind in the country. We chair the quarterly Regional Interagency Steering Committee (RISC) meetings, attended by Federal Emergency Support 

Function agencies and State emergency management representatives. The most recent meeting in March focused on lessons learned 

from Hurricane Katrina. Our operations staff meet regularly with 

17

the State operations officers to coordinate specific plans related to 

a wide range of topics, such as energy, communications, and transportation. A FEMA Region 1 technical specialist is currently in 

Rhode Island working to assist the State with their commodity distribution plan, at the request of the RIEMA director. 

We conduct monthly conference calls with the State Emergency 

Management Directors and staff. With our State Emergency Management Directors, we participate in two annual International 

Emergency Management Group (IEMG) meetings with Canada to 

review Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for cross border 

emergency access. We are currently participating in national and 

regional meetings and exercises in advance of the hurricane season. 

Current examples include the FEMA/Army Corps of Engineers Senior Leadership Seminar; Emergency Response Team National 

(ERIN) workshops; the Joint Region 1 and 2 Catastrophic Planning 

Conference, as Director Warren alluded to, with the State Emergency Management Directors from both of the regions; meetings 

with Rhode Island Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters 

(VOAD); and we will participate with our States in a regional tabletop exercise along the east and Gulf Coast States planned by the 

Office of Grants and Training in the DHS Preparedness Directorate. 

We work with NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, particularly the National Service Weather Office in 

Taunton to coordinate hurricane preparedness. 

We anticipate the imminent designation by Secretary Chertoff of 

a Principal Federal Official and a Federal Coordinating Officer for 

our region for this upcoming hurricane season. Once those individuals are named, we will hold a meeting with our partners in the 

New England States to review the 2006 Hurricane Season Concept 

of Operations, ensuring coordination, unity of command in adherence hearings with the principals of the Incident Command System. 

We are planning to present a briefing on our operational readiness for the staff of congressional delegation district offices. We expect soon that the Defense Coordinating Officer, Colonel Francis 

Kosich, and support staff will be stationed at FEMA Region 1 to 

expediate the position of Department of Defense support team. 

Colonel Ostead has already met with regional staff and will play 

a significant role in the upcoming tabletop exercise. 

The Region 1 IT staff coordinates with the New England States 

on issues of communications interoperability with emphasis on coordinating the supportive capability of any operations situation, including types of equipment frequency management. 

We will follow existing protocols in responding to a hurricane or 

any other incident requiring Federal assistance. Those protocols include the activation of our Regional Response Coordination Center 

located with our Mobile Emergency Response Support detachment 

in Maynard, Massachusetts, deployment of the State Liaison Officer to the State EOC, and, in the case of an approaching hurricane, 

that State Liaison Officer will begin pre-landfall coordination with 

State officials in relaying information. 

We will also deploy our Regional Hurricane Team liaison member to the National Hurricane Center for on scene situational 

18

awareness. I should note that the State Liaison Officer for FEMA 

in the State of Rhode Island is a Rhode Island resident and served 

in that capacity for over 21 years. He knows the State very well. 

We are currently increasing our workforce for disaster readiness. 

Our staff is currently providing new disaster generalist training for 

approximately 360 recently hired Disaster Assistance Employees 

for New England, New York, and New Jersey. Through FEMA’s online independent study program, Rhode Islanders have taken over 

3,000 emergency management courses this last year. In addition, 

two members of RIEMA’s staff have completed the Hurricane Readiness Training Workshop. 

On the national level, FEMA has created two incident response 

support teams to support the Federal response. When first needed, 

these rapidly deployable teams will provide on site support to 

State, local, and tribal governments on technical assistance, situational awareness, communications, and assistance in requesting 

and employing life sustaining Federal assets. 

In a network of logistic centers around the country, FEMA has 

obtained and stored commodities, Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), ice, 

water, generators, cots, blankets, and mats. Last month, FEMA 

made arrangements to procure and deliver needed items more 

quickly in the future. We are working on Total Asset Visibility to 

track commodities at all times. 

We are strengthing our emergency medical response. One of the 

Nation’s first 10 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) is 

Rhode Island (DMAT 1). This team has responded to many incidents, including the Asian flu, influenza outbreak in the southeast 

in 2004, the Station nightclub fire in West Warwick in 2003, the 

World Trade Center attacks in 2001, and the Egypt Air crash in 

1999. 

FEMA is improving customer service and expediting help to disaster victims by doubling registration capacity to 200,000 persons 

per day. We will also deploy mobile registration intake centers, recognizing that many disaster victims may be stranded in shelters 

with no communications to register for disaster assistance. We are 

expanding our home inspection and verification processes to improve the speed and suitability of temporary housing operations. 

Finally, as Federal, State, local, and tribal governments become 

better prepared in anticipation of this hurricane season, it is vitally 

important that individuals and families also be prepared. New 

England has not had a significant hurricane in many years, potentially resulting in the lack of individual preparedness. The States 

generally hold public awareness campaigns at the start of the hurricane season. FEMA Region 1 public affairs staff will support the 

States’ efforts to promote citizen preparedness through the U.S. 

Department of Homeland Security Ready plan. 

Of course, preparation for improved emergency management 

must be a consistent process. FEMA will continue to make other 

significant enhancements beyond this hurricane season to help further strengthen the Nation’s preparedness and ability to respond 

and recover from disasters, whatever the cost. We will look forward 

to continuing our partnership with the State of Rhode Island, local 

governments as well as the private sector, community organizations, and individuals in identifying their roles and responsibilities. 

19

1The prepared statement of General Bray with attachments appears in the Appendix on page 

53. 

Together we will strengthen our ability to prepare for, protect 

against, respond to, and recover from catastrophic events. 

Thank you very much. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you. General Bray. 

TESTIMONY OF MAJOR GENERAL ROBERT THOMAS BRAY,1

ADJUTANT GENERAL, RHODE ISLAND NATIONAL GUARD 

General BRAY. Good morning, Senator Collins and Senator 

Chafee. Thank you for this opportunity to testify this morning. 

In addition to our Federal responsibilities, the business of the 

Rhode Island National Guard Emergency Management Agency is 

the safety and the security of the citizens of Rhode Island. It’s a 

dynamic process that we are engaged in, and I’d like to highlight 

just a few of our accomplishments in that process. 

We are currently working with the vendors to write a hurricane 

response plan which will begin to become an annex to the State’s 

emergency operations plan. The plan will use a phase time line format. Actions will commence many hours before a storm is predicted 

to make landfall, will continue during a storm, and will conclude 

after the mitigation and restoration process. This format will give 

the Governor and myself ample time to make decisions well before 

the storm is predicted to make landfall. Our plan will address 

issues such as evacuation and resource management while the 

storm is still along the southeastern coastline. We feel that these 

proactive steps will reduce the exposure of our residents and guests 

to the effects of this storm and allow for a shorter recovery time. 

As part of the research for this plan, contact was made with each 

of the 39 municipalities in the State to determine their potential, 

particularly during this type of event. We have also asked them to 

research and identify any special population groups residing in 

their community and inform the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency of any requirements for evacuation above local resources. 

As part of this planning process, we’re working to strengthen the 

State’s emergency support function in supportive plans which will 

ensure that the overall hurricane plan for Rhode Island will be sufficient in ensuring public safety. 

The first associated plan which is in development is a donations 

management plan. We have hired a contractor using Federal funds 

to ensure we handle this critical function. Our plan is to use nongovernment organizations, such as the Salvation Army, the Red 

Cross, and the Rhode Island Food Bank, to receive these items. 

Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency has been meeting 

with these organizations over the past month to formalize how this 

will be accomplished. This part of our plan is also going to use volunteer organizations active in disasters to also help with this function and manage any spontaneous volunteers that may offer to 

help. 

The last part of this area is activation of a citizen program. This 

Federal program has been inactive in Rhode Island. Through the 

past winter, we developed a template in conjunction with the local 

20

chapter of the Red Cross to formalize and use this group of citizens 

to help guide us with the public concerns regarding homeland security. In this regard, our domestic preparedness committee has also 

created a special population subcommittee, consisting of people who 

represent these groups. These citizens give us a better insight into 

the actual issues and concerns specific to citizen space. 

In conjunction with the Department of Environmental Management, the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency has 

worked to rewrite the State’s debris management plan. This is a 

daunting task. Projections for a Category 3 hurricane indicate a 

storm of that magnitude could generate as much waste as the State 

normally generates in 3 years. The State’s ability to clear critical 

infrastructure and debris and dispose of this waste will be critical 

and will require a full management team with the cooperation of 

several State agencies. 

We have also partnered with FEMA to generate the first ever resource management plan for Rhode Island. Using FEMA and the 

Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency staff, we have written a plan to distribute food, water, and ice to our population. 

Rhode Island intends to use FEMA’s single point ordering system 

so that there is seamless ordering. And thanks to Ken Horak, the 

acting director of FEMA Region 1, for his foresight in working with 

us in this effort. 

The lessons of Hurricane Katrina show the value of good intracommunications during an emergency. Rhode Island Emergency 

Management Agency runs a working group consisting of local, 

State, and private groups to complete this process for Rhode Island. 

We are spending large sums of money to ensure that Rhode Island 

has a statewide interoperable radio system. The Federal Government must continue to assist us in this endeavor. The cost of these 

systems is simply too much for the local communities to bear. We 

are also working with the local ham radio clubs and the amateur 

radio emergency services to establish ham communications between the State’s Emergency Operations Center, local communities, and Red Cross shelters. This backup arrangement will give 

us tertiary systems. Rhode Island Emergency Management has already purchased new antennas and emergency power generators to 

address this concern. 

In an endeavor to enhance our management and mitigation capabilities, the State has purchased Web EOC, an electronic management program which will increase the capabilities of our State 

Emergency Operations Center. The Emergency Management Agency has also purchased a computer for each local emergency manager. We have licensed them to operate on this system. After the 

training session scheduled in May, these computers will be issued 

to the local communities. This purchase is part of a well thought 

out plan to increase the flow of information using the same format 

and terminology between agencies. As stated earlier, we will adopt 

a single point ordering system. A local director, using Web EOC, 

will be capable of ordering relief supplies such as food, water, and 

ice from FEMA through the State Emergency Operations Center. 

This system will eliminate miscommunication, which in the past 

has hampered State disaster management. 

21

1The prepared statement of Chief Chartier appears in the Appendix on page 63. 

Finally, the Rhode Island National Guard has been postured in 

a State of readiness since the attacks of September 11, 2001. In 24 

hours, 7 days a week, the Joint Operation Center is maintained at 

the Command Readiness Center in Cranston. The Joint Operation 

Center monitors State, national, military, civilian communication 

pertaining to homeland security, national disaster conditions, and 

military operations. The Joint Operation Center is able to communicate interagency, multi-jurisdiction, and multi-agency. The Joint 

Operation Center is able to contact the chain of command of the 

Rhode Island State area command 24/7. 

In addition, I would highlight the comments of the Governor pertaining to the Stafford Act and our ability to preempt a disaster 

event. It is critical that we are able to be proactive in this regard, 

so I again ask for your support in that particular area. 

Once again, I would like to thank you for this opportunity to address this august assembly. Rhode Island continues to improve its 

capabilities to ensure public safety in the event of any manmade 

or national disaster. Preparedness is a task that we never relax on. 

Thank you. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you, General. Chief Chartier. 

TESTIMONY OF JOHN E. CHARTIER,1 FIRE CHIEF AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR, CITY OF WARWICK, 

RHODE ISLAND 

Chief CHARTIER. Good morning, Senators. First of all, I would 

like to thank you for your work in support of all first responders 

involved in both homeland security and emergency management 

and for allowing me the opportunity to meet with you this morning. 

I would like to address a few issues that I believe have relevance; 

in particular, the first responders here in Rhody. 

As we approach the 2006 hurricane season, we do so with a renewed sense of commitment and urgency. I just returned from the 

National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, during which I had the 

opportunity to gain valued information on hurricane response and 

preparedness. The lessons learned from our colleagues in Florida 

and the Gulf States must be learned and changes made in order 

that we can all respond in a coordinated manner to effectively 

serve our citizens. We at the local level understand that local and 

county governments must take the lead in emergency response. 

Local government must be prepared to work through our State 

agencies with FEMA in coordinating the Federal Government’s role 

in order that this approach is conducted in a team fashion. In order 

for this to happen, all parties must understand the chain of command for all responders in response to natural disasters. 

During my training at the National Hurricane Conference, it became quite apparent that from region to region around the country, 

this chain of command is not consistent. While most agencies have 

adopted the National Incident Management System to conduct operations during emergency management and disaster response, the 

chain of command varies greatly by region. I feel that national protocols need to be developed and adopted and trained on in order 

that all regions conduct operations in a similar manner. By doing 

22

so, it will allow a greater understanding between operating agencies as to where they fit into the process, particularly when Federal 

agencies and assets are deployed in support of local operations. 

With regard to communications, and this has been mentioned by 

many of my colleagues prior, particularly the Governor, it is my 

understanding that FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center is upgrading its equipment and installing software to improve 

the interface, coordination, and the exchange of information with 

the Department of Homeland Security Operations Center. These 

improvements in information centers will improve coordination, 

rapid exchange of information, and access to field reports to locals 

before, during, and after a disaster, and this is sorely needed. However, while these changes are taking place at the Federal level, 

those of us at the local level are still struggling with a dire need 

for interoperable communications. Interoperable communications 

capabilities must be developed at the local level in order that emergency response officials can effectively communicate during a disaster. This type of communications system is extremely costly and 

for any local municipality to develop it on its own is almost beyond 

our means. I would strongly ask you to support the Governor’s initiative to support funding for an interoperable radio communication 

system here in Rhode Island. As demonstrated during the recent 

Hurricane Katrina events, effective communication is vital. It is 

completely essential to a successful operation in this type of a situation. 

With regard to Emergency Operations Centers, they are essential 

for the effective response of any community to a disaster in its ability to staff, operate, and maintain an adequate Emergency Operations Center. I would ask Congress to support funding designed 

to allow every region to develop a center that meets the needs of 

the area. In Warwick, my hometown, we are presently working on 

improvements in this area, but more Federal support is needed if 

we are to truly build an asset that meets the needs of the region. 

These centers need to be established in a manner that is consistent with the chain of command I mentioned earlier. 

I believe that FEMA in conjunction with our State counterparts 

should review present centers to ensure that they meet regional 

needs. While attending last week’s conference, it became quite apparent to me that the southern States have developed these centers 

to a much greater level of capability than we have in the northeast. 

I’m sure much of the progress that they have made down there has 

unfortunately been driven by the frequency of hurricanes in recent 

years, but we must adopt and maintain similar facilities in all 

areas of the country if we are to be truly prepared. 

With regard to shelter and supply at the local level, we have 

been working hard in developing adequate shelters for our community. This effort has been successful with the cooperation of the 

Red Cross and our local CERT teams. However, a concern to us is 

the ability to replenish and restock essential disaster commodities, 

such as food, water, and ice during a hurricane aftermath. It is extremely important that Congress support FEMA’s efforts to maintain a ready supply of commodities and assets and develop surge 

capacity that would take us beyond the local needs and capacity to 

handle that. 

23

With regard to FEMA and Homeland Security, those of us at the 

local level have seen the focus for available funding for emergency 

management and response shift to terrorism and weapons of mass 

destruction since September 11. For example, during the last couple of years, we have seen tremendous DHS support in terms of our 

hazardous materials and decontamination teams while other areas 

have received considerably less funding. While attention to issues 

involving terrorism is vitally important and necessary, it must be 

noted that we should be giving equal funding support to issues involving hurricane and natural disaster preparedness and response 

as well. 

During the course of last week’s conference, there was considerable discussion regarding the inclusion of FEMA under the Department of Homeland Security. I believe that Congress should give 

this issue careful consideration and ensure that if FEMA continues 

to remain part of DHS, that it does not become lost within that organization; that its ability to maintain focus and complete its mission in response to disasters efficiently is assured. 

One last thing with regard to reimbursement. The response to 

Hurricane Katrina involved mutual aid from all parts of the country. We here in Rhode Island did our part as well and sent numerous folks and teams to that area. The Emergency Management Aid 

Compact allowed for efficient deployment of local and State assets 

with great success. Although these deployments were successful in 

completion of the mission, many of them were nightmares for locals 

like myself who funded these responses after assurances from State 

and Federal agencies that reimbursement would be forthcoming 

only to wait several months for compensation. When you are trying 

to balance a local budget, that makes things difficult. If Congress 

could simply streamline the process for reimbursement, it would 

allow greater support of missions in the future. 

In conclusion, the role of local government in hurricane response 

and preparedness must be clearly defined and integrated into any 

State or Federal response. I believe that in Rhode Island, we are 

moving greatly in that direction. Particularly during the last 4 

years, those of us at the local level have seen a tremendous commitment of our State government to support the locals not only in 

terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, but emergency management as well. 

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to appear here this 

morning, and I would be happy to answer any questions you have. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you so much, Chief, and thank you 

for sharing with us the results of the hurricane conference that you 

just attended. 

Mr. Mayor, I want to start my questions with you. During the 

investigation of Hurricane Katrina, I was struck by, first of all, 

how critical the levees were and that the levees’ failure greatly exacerbated the disaster; but, second, that there was confusion 

among local, State, and Federal officials as to who was responsible 

for maintaining the levees and responding to the breach when the 

levees began to fail. We actually had a hearing on the levees in 

which we had before us representatives of the New Orleans Levee 

Board, representatives of the State of Louisiana’s Department of 

Transportation, and representatives of the Army Corps of EngiVerDate 0ct 09 2002 10:07 Jul 10, 2007 Jkt 028239 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\28239.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
24

neers. And when I asked each of the witnesses who was responsible, each pointed to the other. 

Now, here in Providence, I have learned that you have a critical 

hurricane barrier, the Fox Point barrier across the Providence 

River, and that project, which was completed, I believe, in the mid 

1960s, is critical to protecting Providence from extensive flooding. 

In your judgment, is it clear who is responsible for routine maintenance of the barrier and who would be responsible if the barrier 

were to fail during a hurricane? 

Mayor CICILLINE. Yes. The hurricane barrier is maintained by 

the City of Providence. It is clear to me who’s responsible for its 

maintenance. The Senator has been especially helpful in attracting 

Federal resources to do major capital upgrades. And one of the real 

issues is who should be responsible for maintaining it. The burden 

has been principally borne by the taxpayers, the local property taxpayers in the City of Providence, which is really an unfair distribution of that responsibility. That is a barrier that provides protection 

for the downtown region, which is really the economic, educational, 

political center of the State and has enormous economic development that has enormous consequences for the State, not just the 

city, and the region. 

So the maintenance is provided by the City of Providence and the 

daily maintenance is done by city employees. The Army Corps of 

Engineers does regular inspection of the hurricane barrier and its 

pumps and its electrical systems. We have been very fortunate because we work with our Federal delegation, particularly Senator 

Chafee, to attract Federal resources to do some of that work. We 

need additional resources, but I think a larger question really is 

who is the right agency to ultimately have responsibility for that. 

In the sort of times in which we live, with the current configuration 

of Rhode Island and what that barrier protects, I think it is clear 

that the real responsibility ought to be the Federal Government, 

Army Corps of Engineers, who have both the capacity and the expertise and who play a critical role already, but have the resources 

of the Federal Government to both maintain and also to respond 

to a breach. If, in fact, there were a breach that required additional 

systems, we have a very strong partnership with our State emergency management officials, and we would, I’m certain, avail ourselves of that, as well as Federal assistance. 

But I think today it does provide an opportunity to think about 

a larger and a more proactive response to that question to say, 

really, does it make sense to have local taxpayers of one city support the maintenance and the integrity of that very important barrier which protects our whole region. 

Chairman COLLINS. I think that is an excellent point. It is a 

heavy burden for the taxpayers of one city to bear, given the importance of the barrier to the entire State and, as you point out, really, 

the region. But it is good to know that you don’t have the confusion 

over basic responsibility that we saw in New Orleans because that 

was a major problem. 

Mr. Warren, I was very pleased to hear Mr. Horak say that the 

Department of Homeland Security is moving to designating in advance a principal Federal official and a defense coordinating officer 

who will work together. 

25

But I want to ask you, because I heard you say that you have 

been, I think, in your position for 10 years, whether there have 

been large scale exercises involving State, local, and Federal officials to actually train for a major hurricane or other natural disaster? 

Mr. WARREN. Yes, there have been. In the past, we have done 

hurricane drills. Actually, 3 years ago, didn’t we? The hurricane 

tracts you have before you came up the coast, and it was a 2-day 

exercise that went all through the States. We started a few days 

ahead of time listening to what was going on in South Carolina and 

such and those things. So we have done those. 

Obviously, in the last couple of years, we have done a lot of training, most of it terrorist based. We have done a lot on the airport 

with our Federal partners. But, again, that does benefit us in a 

natural disaster. So I think the lines of communications are tested 

in those, also. 

Chairman COLLINS. I think training and exercises are just critical. 

I would ask Mr. Horak, do those exercises also involve key players from the nonprofit sector, such as the Red Cross, and for profit 

entities, such as power companies, for example? 

Mr. HORAK. In the past, the for profits have not been involved, 

but the trend is in the right direction; TOPOFF III involved the 

private sector organizations. We have historically had the Red 

Cross as part of our emergency support functions as being first in 

the Federal Response Plan, and now in the National Response 

Plan. But, yes, there is a trend to involve the private sector more 

and more. 

Chairman COLLINS. Good. Mr. Horak, you heard the Chief explain how difficult it is for a community to not receive prompt reimbursement when they answer the call for help under the Emergency Management Compact. Can you shed any light on why it 

takes so long to get reimbursement when first responders answer 

the call and go and help as occurred with Hurricane Katrina? 

That’s a real disincentive for smaller communities to participate if 

it’s going to wreak havoc on their budgets. 

Mr. HORAK. Yes. And I personally recognize that, and I’ve seen 

that situation firsthand, but that is something that our headquarter’s folks realize they have to improve on. We have to improve 

the financial management processes within FEMA. I think that is 

recognized by Director Paulison. That is a major priority for us. 

Chairman COLLINS. Senator Chafee. 

Senator CHAFEE. Thank you, Senator Collins. 

Chief Chartier, we were talking to the Governor about the lessons from Hurricane Katrina of evacuating disabled nursing home 

patients, and the Governor was saying a lot of that responsibility 

has to go to the local level, and you, yourself, said the local level 

is going to have responsibility for much of the disaster. 

In your experience in Warwick, do you have a good database of 

who is disabled in low lying areas and what nursing homes, just 

out of curiosity, in your home community? Are you prepared to 

know who might need help? 

Chief CHARTIER. Yes, Senator. As part of our local emergency operations plan, we have identified all of our, what we have considVerDate 0ct 09 2002 10:07 Jul 10, 2007 Jkt 028239 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\28239.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT
26

ered to be, vulnerable facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, and the 

like, particularly housing for the elderly. We have a couple that are 

built in low lying areas along the Pawtuxet River. In addition to 

that, we use our human resource folks in the City of Warwick to 

help maintain a database of folks that might be disabled or just 

simply not have the means to evacuate in a timely fashion, and we 

hope that by maintaining those lists and being aware of what 

structures we need to take care of on a priority basis that we can 

take care of that. 

Senator CHAFEE. So you can say with some confidence you pretty 

much know who is wheelchair bound in various houses throughout 

the city? 

Chief CHARTIER. Yes. We try to keep that information as current 

as possible. One of the downsides of any database is it is only as 

good as its recent update. And as people move, if they don’t forward us their new information, then we have old data, but we do 

make a concerted effort to keep that as up to date as possible. 

Senator CHAFEE. I have a question for the whole panel, I don’t 

know who has the best answer, but the whole question of interoperability. Is it more a question of cost or developing technology? 

What is the big barrier to this concept and need for interoperability? 

Mayor CICILLINE. It is clearly cost. We have the technology, and 

we actually are very far ahead in the City of Providence from many 

other communities as a result of Federal assistance. We are about 

90 percent completed in interoperability, but that is unusual. 

The U.S. Conference of Mayors actually recently did an analysis, 

and it is a huge problem across the country. It is really because 

local communities don’t have the resources that they need to do 

this successfully to complete this process. There’s wonderful technology, great systems, but these cost. 

Senator CHAFEE. Anybody else want to respond? 

General BRAY. If I might add to that, as we have stated, our 800 

Megahertz communications system is a critical link to interoperability, but communications is just one dynamic of that command 

and control process, which will be assisted by the Web EOC software, and communications is another major part of that. 

Redundant systems are essential, and we have done a lot in the 

State of Rhode Island to assure that we have redundant systems 

and capabilities such as, for example, our military communications 

systems that are a part of our organizations and, as well, capabilities of the 281st communications squadron, which is one of two assets in the entire United States that can replicate the backbone of 

both voice and digital communications. 

So we are well postured at this time, but the critical issue is the 

final funding pieces to complete the 800 megahertz system. 

Senator CHAFEE. And I think it was Mr. Horak who mentioned 

in preparation for a hurricane, one of the needs is tarps. And as 

we flew into New Orleans even months after the hurricane, it 

seemed like every roof had a blue tarp over it. So certainly small 

things such as that are important. Once the storm has passed and 

those shingles have blown off, protecting what has survived is very 

important. A good supply of tarps makes a big difference. 

27

Chief Chartier mentioned chain of command, and is there anything specific we can do on the Committee to push these national 

standards that you are advocating for? 

Chief CHARTIER. I think many of the standards are already there. 

I think what needs to be done is more training exercises that involve the locals right up through the FEMA level. 

One of the things that I heard from my colleagues sitting around 

at night after the conference was over and talking about lessons 

that they had learned was when the Federal Government comes in 

and interacts, many times folks at the local level are not completely clear where the Federal Government fits into the process, 

and those chains of command and the layers of responsibility have 

to be clearly identified and everyone has to understand that before 

the incident happens. Because it gets back to what Senator Collins 

was talking about, who is in charge of the levee, who’s responsibility it is. Those layers of responsibility and clear lines of communication need to be laid out in advance and everyone needs to understand them so that the chain of command will, in fact, function. 

Senator CHAFEE. Mayor, is there anything we can do in the 

transfer of responsibility to the Army Corps of the barrier? 

Mayor CICILLINE. Yes. That would require congressional action, 

essentially, and you were good enough to come, and I thank you 

for that. I do think it’s a question of fairness, both in terms of having a small part of a local community bear the costs associated and 

knowing that there is a Federal agency that has both the experience and expertise and, I think, even the willingness to undertake 

this responsibility. That would require congressional action, and it 

would be certainly welcomed by all the residents of Rhode Island 

to know both the resources will be available of the Army Corps of 

Engineers as well as the professional expertise; to not only maintain it, but to deal with the ongoing regular operation, I think, 

would be a huge benefit to all Rhode Islanders and the entire region. 

Senator CHAFEE. Did I hear you say they are willing? 

Mayor CICILLINE. Yes. I think the last time the Army Corps of 

Engineers were here and they floated the idea, and they said it is 

up to Congress. We will take anything they tell us to take. So I 

think they are willing to do it if you direct them to do it. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you. General Bray, I want to follow 

up on the interoperability question. You mentioned in your testimony that Senator Chafee has been such an advocate for additional 

funding in this area. We have been working to have a good formula 

to the homeland security grant program so that States and local 

governments can have predictability and sustainability so that they 

can undertake a multi-year project knowing that the funding is 

going to be there because that is a major problem, as well. A lot 

of times, these projects are going to take several years to complete. 

What would you think if we carved out a certain percentage of 

the homeland security grant money or perhaps created a new program that was specifically for interoperable equipment? 

The reason I ask this question is this comes up over and over 

again, as the Mayor has mentioned, and we just don’t seem to be 

making fast enough progress. The same problems during Hurricane 

Katrina happened and 41⁄2 years before with September 11. What 

28

about our, I hate to use the word in this environment, ‘‘earmarking,’’ but earmarked specific funding that would be a competitive grant program, perhaps, just for interoperable equipment? 

What would you think of that? 

General BRAY. Thank you for asking the question, and let me express my appreciation for your support in this area. 

You are exactly right. I think a cradle to grave mentality needs 

to be adopted, particularly for these type of absolutely essential 

programs. To start a project such as this that is so critical to our 

overall capabilities, to mitigate an incident like this, not to mention 

just day-to-day handling of emergencies within a State, I think, is 

absolutely essential that we are able to see the end state to fruition 

in a reasonable amount of time. 

Our capabilities in the State through this communication system 

will be absolutely solidified. We are in position to build the backbone that will support this. What is essential is to ensure that the 

local responders have the resources then to tie into that system. So 

any methodology that would help us get there and, as you say, with 

some predictable, some assurance that we will see that end state 

is absolutely essential. 

Chairman COLLINS. Chief, from your perspective, is the lack of 

predictability of funding and the fact that the formula is changed 

every single year a problem when you are trying to embark upon 

a major project like interoperability? 

Chief CHARTIER. Yes, for several reasons. One, for a local community to start down the road, from my community alone, we would 

be looking at a $3.5 to $4 million project, and we are a city of about 

100,000. To embark down that road not being completely sure that 

the funding would maintain all the way through the project to having a complete system at the end is just not a road that most locals 

are willing to go down because, for one reason, if you’ve only got 

half of your city on the system, then you’ve, in effect, created a 

worse nightmare because where at least before you could talk to 

your own folks, maybe not outside, if you start installing assets to 

infrastructure that only covers half of your city while you are hoping that the rest of the funding shows up next year, you have just 

muddied the waters further. 

So, as the General was saying, if you have cradle to grave where 

we know that if they start it this year, it’s going to be a 5-year 

project; this is the timeline, these are the increments in which the 

funding is going to be available, that would be much simpler. 

Chairman COLLINS. Thank you. Senator Chafee. 

Senator CHAFEE. I think I have gotten all the answers. We will 

keep working. Senator Collins is urging exercise and practice, and 

that is important, also. 

And, Mayor Cicilline, we were in one of your fine dining establishments last night, Senator Collins and I, and ran into a waiter 

who was a fellow northern Mainer. 

Mayor CICILLINE. We arranged that. 

Chairman COLLINS. Well done. 

Senator CHAFEE. And I know Senator Collins is on her way to 

Arkansas to chair another hearing. 

Chairman COLLINS. Let me just ask one final question for you, 

Mr. Horak. It is my understanding that a FEMA survey that was 

29

conducted in May 2000 found that 77 percent of homeowners in the 

northeast had not prepared a disaster supply kit, had not prepared 

a hurricane evacuation plan, really had no idea of what they 

should do if disaster strikes. Now, I think that citizen awareness 

has been boosted enormously by Hurricane Katrina, but is FEMA 

undertaking any effort with its State and local partners with the 

people who are right beside you to educate the public on evacuation 

routes, on what a supply kit should include, on what they should 

do during the first 24 hours when they are very likely to be on 

their own? 

Mr. HORAK. As I said in my opening remarks, that is one of our 

priorities. It is a personal view of mine that the local citizens and 

families are not as prepared as they should be. I alluded to campaigns tied to the hurricane season, public awareness campaigns. 

We will be doing one of those with our States. We are also working 

with the National Weather Service in Taunton who will also be 

putting on a campaign. That should be a sustained program; not 

just hurricanes, but all hazards. 

There are two sources of readiness information, there’s a FEMA 

web site with a lot of information, www.fema.gov, but also 

www.ready.gov, which the DHS sponsors, lots of valuable information there as well. We will continue to publicize that. But I emphasize, it is important for States and local governments to be involved 

in that coordinated sustained campaign. 

Chairman COLLINS. Any other members of the panel want to 

comment on that issue, on any efforts you have underway to try 

to educate the citizens? Mr. Mayor. 

Mayor CICILLINE. We have done a lot in the area, Senator. We 

have done a fair amount of training of volunteers in connection 

with shelter volunteers in the shelter system. We have shared information about evacuation routes with residents in the city. We 

also did a campaign called Ready Providence in which we distributed emergency kits and lots of information on evacuation routes 

and natural disasters to residents of Providence. Our director of 

Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness has really emphasized the importance of educating the residents of Providence 

on how to respond to a natural disaster, what we need to have, and 

has actually provided some materials. 

Chairman COLLINS. That’s great. Anyone else? 

Mr. WARREN. We have established a committee that is working 

to especially educate the people on the web site to make sure they 

understand, and then also, if people can’t get to it, to make sure 

we get those materials to them. 

Chairman COLLINS. That’s good. Thank you all. I think that citizen awareness that we ended on is often neglected. So I am very 

pleased to hear that you are proactive in that area. 

Every year, the ranking Democrat on my Committee, Senator 

Lieberman and I—I think it is September that is National Preparedness Month—always do a press event, and no one ever pays 

any attention. And, as a result, I think that most families are not 

prepared. But as I said, I think we have an opportunity that has 

been provided to us by last year’s catastrophe to catch the attention of the public, to educate our citizens, and to make sure that 

they understand that they are part of the solution; that individual 

30

citizen and family preparedness is also necessary to supplement 

what sounds like terrific efforts that this entire State has embarked upon. 

So I want to thank you all for your hard work, your dedication, 

and, most of all, for your service by coming here today. It’s been 

very helpful. It has given us insights on what a small but vulnerable State has undertaken. You have a true champion in Senator 

Chafee. He’s been a real leader on this issue and has a special understanding of the challenges faced by coastal areas. So I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Chafee and all of you. 

Thank you for your participation. 

The hearing record will remain open for 15 days for the submission of any additional materials. This hearing is now adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 12:16 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

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