Calling the destruction of Hurricane Harvey a "landmark event," Brock Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is planning recovery efforts not in months, but "years."
"FEMA is going to be there for years, sir," Long told CNN's "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper. "This disaster will be a landmark event. And we're already in the stages – while we're focused on response right now and helping Texas respond – we're already pushing forward recovery housing teams.
"We're already pushing forward forces to be on the ground, to implement national flood insurance program policies as well, and doing the inspection that we need. So, we're setting up and gearing up for the next couple of years."
Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, one of similar strength to 2005's Hurricane Katrina, which claimed the lives of almost 2,000 people. Long was then the hurricane manager for FEMA, an agency he claimed to be "vastly different" and more prepared than ever.
"You know, the post Katrina emergency management reform act has set the stage for me," Long told Tapper. "The president has instilled in me all the power that I need to be able to mobilize the forces."
Tapper later pressed Long on whether high-level President Donald Trump administration absences – including Gen. John Kelly's departure from Department of Homeland Security – might be impacting FEMA's ability to respond.
"I don't even have time to worry about it right now," Long told Tapper. "What I've seen inside my agency: I've got the most dedicated people in the federal government, great communication lines with the president extremely concerned, incredibly engaged. Everything is working through.
"Just because there's not a leader in some of these areas, you've got dedicated, highly knowledgeable, experienced workforce in each one of these agencies and they know this mission. We're putting it down, and we're there. We're leaning forward and we're going to continue to support the state and local governments. I have no concern. We are doing our job.
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