Carlos Castillo, Tidal Basin Group’s Chief Development Officer and former FEMA Acting Deputy Administrator for Resilience was this week’s guest on the GovExec Daily Podcast to discuss how FEMA is responding to disasters during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Carlos shared how FEMA developed its COVID-19 Plan in anticipation of responding to multiple disasters during the ongoing pandemic, like Hurricane Laura and the nearly 100 active wildfires.
As a former FEMA resilience expert, Carlos shared how the agency supports the local and state emergency management community after a disaster. “FEMA’s role is to support the local jurisdictions and the state in responding. And even the local jurisdictions are the secondary responders, the first responders are the community – the people impacted.”
Carlos discussed how FEMA has adjusted operations to support its response during the COVID 19 pandemic. He said FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor established three main priorities for developing the agency’s COVID response procedures:
- Take care of the FEMA workforce.
- Lead the pandemic response on behalf of the Whitehouse Coronavirus Task Force.
- And continue performing FEMA’s primary functions.
In response to how the public can prepare for the next disaster, Carlos recommended three main actions the public should do:
- Build a Kit
- Have a Plan
- Stay Informed
Carlos Castillo has nearly 40 years’ experience as an emergency manager in the local, federal, and nonprofit sectors. Learn more about his new role as the Chief Development Officer for the Tidal Basin Group by clicking here.
