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Press Release Published: Aug 3, 2023

Government Operations Subcommittee to Hold Field Hearing on Federal Response to Hurricane Ian

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WASHINGTON—Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) announced a field hearing titled, “Weathering the Storm: Oversight of the Federal Response and Recovery Efforts in Southwestern Florida following Hurricane Ian.” Members will assess the effectiveness of the federal response to Hurricane Ian and identify areas for improvement in the federal disaster response.

“Hurricane Ian’s dangerous winds and catastrophic storm surge devastated Southwest Florida. This is the third costliest weather disaster on record and rebuilding could take up to a decade. We owe it to American taxpayers and Southwest Floridians to examine the federal response to this deadly hurricane and identify how we can improve disaster response moving forward. We look forward to hearing from both federal and local officials about the federal response to the devastation that occurred in their communities,” said Subcommittee Chairman Sessions.

WHAT: Hearing titled, “Weathering the Storm: Oversight of the Federal Response and Recovery Efforts in Southwestern Florida following Hurricane Ian”

DATE: Thursday, August 10, 2023

TIME: 10:00 a.m. ET

LOCATION: Lakes Regional Library, 15290 Bass Road, Fort Myers, Florida 33919

WITNESSES:

Panel 1:

  • Mr. Brett Howard, Federal Coordinating Officer for Hurricane Ian (Apr. 2023 – Present), Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • Mr. Thomas McCool, Federal Coordinating Officer for Hurricane Ian (Sept. 2022 – Apr. 2023), Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • Mr. Francisco Sánchez, Jr., Associate Administrator, Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience, Small Business Administration
  • Marion McFadden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Community Planning and Development, Department of Housing and Urban Development

Panel 2:

  • Mr. Brian Hamman, Chairman, Lee County Board of Commissioners
  • Mr. Chauncey Goss, Resident, Sanibel, FL
  • Mr. Kevin Anderson, Mayor, Fort Myers, FL

The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed online at https://oversight.house.gov/. Press must be credentialed and RSVP by emailing oversightgoppressrsvp@mail.house.gov by Wednesday, August 9, at 5:00pm.