Napolitano Calls Governors Affected by Tornadoes

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

"Our Thoughts and Prayers are With Those Who Have Lost Loved Ones..." 

WASHINGTON—Today Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano called Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, Ohio Governor John Kasich, and Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to offer the condolences and support of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following the storms that affected much of the Midwest and Southern states this week.

DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been in contact with affected states throughout the week and are continuing to closely monitor conditions following severe storms.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and with the communities affected by the recent storms,” said Secretary Napolitano.

“The Department’s priority is to work with the impacted states to identify and address their needs, and we will continue to remain in close contact with the states as they respond to and recover from these storms.”

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), through regional offices in Kansas City, Mo., Chicago, Ill. and Atlanta, Ga., is in close contact with state emergency officials in states that are being affected by severe weather, including tornadoes.

FEMA's National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C., and its Regional Response Coordination Center in Chicago, Ill. are fully activated to support state requests for assistance.

FEMA's regional administrators have been in touch with state emergency management officials for Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee.  

At all times, FEMA maintains commodities, including millions of liters of water, millions of meals and hundreds of thousands of blankets, strategically located at distribution centers throughout the United States and its territories.

To support the affected states, FEMA has coordinated with the Department of Defense to establish a national Incident Support Base in Kentucky to stage commodities in strategic locations close to the impacted areas, if needed and requested by the state.

More than 98,000 meals and 146,000 liters of water are en route to the Incident Support Base.

Many local governments and voluntary agencies, such as the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, are providing shelter to disaster survivors who have been displaced from the storms.

Visit www.fema.gov/donations for more information on how you can help, .

'These Cuts Would Significantly Impact Our Ability to Train and Equip First Responders'

Governor Cuomo Blasts Plans to Slash Federal Homeland Security Funding

Governor Cuomo has urged House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to block a proposal to slash federal homeland security funding given to the states by 50 percent. In his letter, Governor Cuomo said the dramatic cut would hamper New York's efforts to prevent terrorist attacks and protect New Yorkers. House Republicans have proposed reducing the grant funding from $2.2 billion this year to $1 billion next year.

"These cuts would significantly impact our ability to train and equip police, firefighters, and other first responders and otherwise maintain the highest level of security New Yorkers need and deserve," Governor Cuomo wrote.

The Governor's letter can be found here:

Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader Reid,

At a time when the federal government is warning that we may see retaliatory attacks for the death of Osama Bin Laden, congressionally proposed cuts to state and local homeland security grants for the FY2012 federal budget would undermine the very initiatives that have been put in place to protect our nation and people from the persistent and evolving threat of terrorism.

Since September 11^th, New York State has been the target of thirteen terrorist plots. Most were thwarted through the collaborative investigative prowess among local, state and federal law enforcement officials, as well as citizens who reported suspicious activity. Some plots, including Faisal Shazad's attempted bombing of Times Square and the crowded Theatre District, failed.

Under all scenarios, federal support to the state and local officials who are literally on the front lines of the war of terrorism being waged against us is essential. The capability to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from a terrorist attack requires the full participation of all levels of government.

That is exactly what the funding made available through the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grants has as its goal.

Thursday's arrest by the NYPD of two suspects who were targeting multiple synagogues and the Empire State Building demonstrate that the death of Bin Laden does not mean the threat of terrorism has abated.

With the 10th anniversary of September 11th and the opening of World Trade Center Memorial only months away, this plot was simultaneously the latest success story and sober reminder that our city and state remains in the cross-hairs of those who use bombs and bullets to make their points.

Osama Bin Laden himself cited the 1oth anniversary as a date his followers should target for attack. Now is not the time for the federal government to step back from the partnership with state and local governments in defense of our nation.

Your leadership is needed to prevent these harmful cuts and to ensure that our nation does not degrade its abilities to meet the threat of terrorism.

Rear Admiral Rochon to Receive Major WH Position

Stephen W. Rochon was appointed Chief Usher during the Bush Administration.

White House Announces Chief Usher to Take Senior Post at the Department of Homeland Security

The White House has announced that Chief Usher Admiral Stephen W. Rochon, a highly decorated Coast Guard officer who has dedicated four years of service to the Executive Residence at the White House, will leave the White House to become the Principal Executive for Strategic Integration at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), one of the largest and most complex components of the Department of Homeland Security.

Admiral Rochon is the eighth person and first ever African American to serve as Director of the President’s Executive Residence and “Chief Usher.” President George W. Bush appointed Admiral Rochon to the position in February 2007 and President Obama asked him to continue when he took office in January 2009.

Admiral Rochon has successfully led a team of Executive Residence employees in executing major events from state visits and Presidential press conferences, to the annual Easter Egg Roll and East Room events, while preserving the most historic house in America.

“I am truly delighted to accept this great opportunity to assist the U.S. Customs and Border Protection with developing and implementing a strategic integration program to help protect our U.S. borders,” said Rochon.

“My past four years as the Director of the Executive Residence and Chief Usher at the White House has been most rewarding, and I will greatly miss my phenomenal staff, who proudly provides superior service to the President and his First Family, but I am humbled and grateful to the President for having the confidence in me to take on this new challenge, and I look forward to returning home to the Department of Homeland Security.”

In his new role at CBP, Admiral Rochon will work on a wide range of integrated efforts to enhance border security, as well as to facilitate the flow of legitimate trade and travel across our nation’s borders. He will assist in ensuring that CBP’s resources and activities are closely aligned with measurable outcomes of improved homeland security.

Admiral Rochon comes from a military family with members serving in nearly every branch of the military. In 1970, he enlisted in the Coast Guard and was quickly promoted up the enlisted and officer ranks where he developed an extensive background in personnel management, strategic planning, and effective inter-agency coordination.

As the Coast Guard’s Commander of the Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic, Admiral Rochon was responsible for naval and civil engineering, financial management, personnel, legal, civil rights, electronic systems support, and contingency planning across 40 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

A New Orleans native, Admiral Rochon served as the Coast Guard's Director of Personnel Management in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricanes, providing support for Coast Guard personnel and their families, and ensuring they had housing and new job assignments.

He helped rebuild and preserve the historic significance of three turn-of-the-century homes in New Orleans following the 2005 hurricanes. Admiral Rochon graduated with a BS in Business Management from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans and a MS degree in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

Photo source: georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov
Photo credit: georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov