Justin Harris new CCEMA director
Tuesday, August 30, 2016 1:53 pm
Justin Harris has been named new Emergency Management Agency director for Cannon County.
EMA is an offshoot of TEMA which in turn answers to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA and Homeland Security were founded in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was appointed as the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security in the White House. The office oversaw and coordinated a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard the country against terrorism and respond to any future attacks. With the passage of the Homeland Security Act by Congress in November 2002, the Department of Homeland Security formally came into being as a stand-alone, Cabinet-level department to further coordinate and unify national homeland security efforts. "Justin's already come up with an EMA action statement," Gannon said, and is in the process of relocating equipment and radio equipment. Harris, just on the job for a week, is working to reacquire EMA's equipment. "It's definitely a process." He's also been working on an operations plan. "I have an overall plan to generate support for all Cannon County agencies by making Emergency Management more functional," Harris said. It is EMA's goal to develop a comprehensive emergency management program to help mitigate the effects of natural or man-made disasters, technological accidents and security threats.
|