The formation of the local, state, tribal, and federal Preparedness Task Force was announced this week by Napolitano. The task force is a council of experts charged with assessing the state of the nation’s disaster preparedness and making recommendations to the DHS about ways to build resiliency in communities across America.
“Enhancing preparedness across our nation requires close collaboration between all levels of government,” Napolitano said. “The recommendations of this task force comprised of emergency management and homeland security experts from states, cities and tribes across the country will help guide our ongoing efforts to ensure the resilience of communities throughout the nation.”
The task force is comprised of 35 members of local, state, and tribal governments, offering a diverse cross-section of experience in homeland security and emergency management missions. The task force will also engage congressional partners, as well as the private sector and non-governmental and development organizations through a variety of outreach activities.
“It is an honor and privilege to be appointed to this task force,”
Crossley said. “Counties play an intricate role in the nation’s emergency management system and I look forward to working with other public and private entities to enhance the nation’s disaster preparedness.”
The Conference Report accompanying the 2010 DHS Appropriations Act called for a task force responsible for “making recommendations for all levels of government regarding: disaster and emergency guidance and policy; federal grants; and federal requirements” with an emphasis on identifying preparedness policies, guidelines and grant programs that should be updated and recommending paths forward to improve the nation’s collective capabilities for preparing for disasters.
The task force will conduct regular meetings and expects to deliver recommendations in September of 2010.
Crossley has been an employee of the county’s Office of
Emergency Management & Homeland Security for 11 years. As director, he is responsible for the coordination of all actions within Johnson County which involve preparing for, responding to, recovering from and mitigating the impact of crisis, major emergencies and disasters within the community.
